


While You Were Sleeping

by Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)



Series: Imagine Tony & Bucky [66]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Christmas, Comatose Steve Rogers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Happy Ending, Inspired by a Movie, Lonely Tony Stark, M/M, Minor Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Requited Love, Romantic Comedy, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 14:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5208947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaqen_hgar/pseuds/Finely%20Honed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span class="small">Prompt: While You Were Sleeping au? Imagine Tony having a huge crush on Steve, saving his life but Steve falls into a coma. Hospital staff thinks Tony is Steve's fiancé and tells Steve's family. Tony goes along with it so he can stay and make sure Steve is okay, but he ends up falling in love with Steve's brother, Bucky (who also falls in love back).</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What’s the big deal?”</p><p>“Rhodey, what part did you miss?” Tony hissed into the phone. “They think I’m their future son-in-law! And… and statistically speaking, at least one of them has to have some sort of heart condition, so maybe I tell them the truth and the shock is too much, and I kill a member of his family. This is the definition of a big deal!”</p><p>“Fine, just ride it out, then.”</p><p>Tony pulled the phone away from his ear, stared at it, then brought it back up to the side of his head. “Ride it out?”</p><p>“Sure. Just go along with it, and when this guy finally comes out of his coma, they’ll be so happy they won’t even care you lied to them.”</p><p>“Oh my god, this is literally the worst advice I’ve ever heard. Let me talk to Pepper.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	While You Were Sleeping

**Author's Note:**

> I have an incredibly confusing to myself soft spot for this movie. Suffer my wrath.

There were two things that really stood out to Tony Stark from his childhood. The first was Jarvis. Really, he wouldn’t have had anything resembling a childhood at all if it hadn’t been for Jarvis stepping in the way he did. Tony’s parents had died back when he was still young enough that the idea of his parents not existing had never even occurred to him. Car accidents hadn’t occurred to him, so he’d certainly been unprepared for police officers to sit him down and tell him he was an orphan.

It should have been the end of the world, but Jarvis had stepped in without hesitation. He made sure to keep the vultures at bay, which was no easy task, considering the size of Tony’s inheritance. Jarvis was the one to make Tony feel loved, and special. He was the person who stayed up with him when he couldn’t sleep, telling him stories about his parents for hours.

Jarvis was the reason he remembered Howard and Maria at all.

The other thing that stood out was still Jarvis, actually, but specifically the stories he shared from his own life. Stories of his beloved Anna, and how they fell in love. Tony would curl up beside Jarvis and listen attently to stories about their wedding, their comically disastrous honeymoon, and all those little unimportant moments that, in hindsight, actually  _are_ important.

Really, you’d never think it looking at him, but Jarvis had been a closet romantic. He was the reason Tony grew up believing in things like True Love, and Meant to Be, and that there was someone out there for everyone, even him. He just had to wait for that magic moment, and…

Well, Jarvis had a habit of saying, “Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan.” Tony just wished he’d realized Jarvis was talking about  _his_  life.

He’d loved those stories, would beg Jarvis for more details, because he wanted to be ready for when  _his_  moment came along. Couldn’t wait until he was the one sharing stories with Jarvis about him and his special someone.

“Why can’t love be more like science?” Tony whined, half slumped over the kitchen table.

“That sounds rather awful.”

Tony groaned, propping his head up with his chin in his hand. “If I could build something to detect it, though, wouldn’t that be a good thing? What… what if I mess it all up and miss my moment?”

“That won’t happen, Tony,” Jarvis assured him. He sounded so sure that it made Tony feel a bit better. The hot chocolate also helped with that. “You just  _know_  when it happens.”

“How did you know?”

“Well, Anna gave me a special gift,” Jarvis said with a private little smile, chin tucked into his chest. “She gave me the world.”

Really, it was an old globe with a light in it, but when you were a helpless romantic you sort of had a skewed outlook on life.

+

Fast forward.

The first time Tony saw him, he was just shy of eight months away from his thirty-ninth birthday—which is kind of terrifying, because everything since thirty-five has felt like a rollercoaster-esque plummet into forty—and still pathetically single.

It had been a fluke, really. Tony had lost a bet to his friend Bruce, which was bad, because Bruce wasn’t interested in betting for money. Besides, Tony was filthy rich, so therefore Bruce’s wagers always involved things like being sentenced to using only public transit to get anywhere for a solid month.

So there he was on the first day, trying to drink his cup of coffee without wearing it, because apparently no one at the train station understood the concept of personal space. He’d been two seconds away from calling Bruce to ask if he could buy him an island instead, when he’d seen him.

As in  _Him_!

Suddenly, Tony had something to look forward to every morning, Monday through Friday. Because, wow. Just  _wow_. He was perfect. He was like every fairytale description of Prince Charming, with a smile that was like moonbeams and kittens, although Tony was a little biased, what with the being head over heels for the guy.

There was, admittedly, a  _tiny_  obstacle between him and happily ever after with his Prince Charming that Tony hadn’t necessarily been prepared for, which was the issue of them never having actually spoken to each other. But they would! Tony believed it with all of his heart. One of those mornings he’d find a way to introduce himself that wasn’t creepy, or incredibly lame, and they’d talk, and it would be  _perfect_.

So, even when the month ran out, Tony kept taking the train, waiting for that perfect moment to arrive, so that he could finally say goodbye to the loneliness that had taken over his life ever since Jarvis passed away.

Some might think it was creepy, but Tony had his Romantic Filter on in full effect, so thought nothing of doing his normal commute even on days he had off, or on Holidays when there was hardly anyone else around at the station. He wouldn’t always see Him on those days, but sometimes he was there.

Surprisingly enough, it was one of  _those_  mornings when fate finally intervened on Tony’s behalf, and turned his life upside down. It was just him and Him, and two or three other weary travelers braving the cold. That was probably because it was stupid early in the morning on Christmas Eve. Tony didn’t actually have anywhere to go, or be, or do, so why not go to the station on the off chance he’d see the love of his life?

And sure enough, he was there! As soon as he saw him arrive, Tony sighed, whispering, “You’re beautiful. Will you marry me?”

A quick glance at the clock showed him he had a bit of time before the train, so Tony decided that this was it. The Morning. The morning he’d finally suck it up, and say something, and make his Prince fall in love with him, through the goddamned magic of Christmas, just the way it’d happen in the movies. Only, first, the bathroom, because he’d already had three cups of coffee, and considering his track record with love, he was liable to pee his pants in the middle of proposing to the handsome stranger.

Once that was taken care of, and some time was spent lecturing his reflection about risks and rewards, Tony headed back out onto the platform with his head held high, and his heart racing frantically. He hadn’t really expected to witness the tail end of an altercation.

Handsome was surrounded by a couple of guys, arguing about something, which was weird, because he was the sort of commuter that said good morning to everyone working at the train station, and held doors, and helped senior citizens on and off the train, and gave directions to tourists. Tony had just enough time to wonder what was happening, but then Handsome was tumbling backwards onto the train tracks, his attackers taking off right around when they saw him crack his head, and go limp.

“Holy shit!”

Before he knew what he was doing, Tony was running, vaulting inelegantly off of the platform and down onto the tracks. “Hey, buddy!” His heart slammed up into his throat, leaving him momentarily unable to breathe, because the love of his life was definitely unconscious, and didn’t seem like he had any intention of waking up. “Oh my god, this is _not_  good, nope, not even a little. Somebody call 911!”

Tony had no idea whether any of the other commuters were actually doing anything helpful up there, because his entire universe had been reduced to the beautiful man of his dreams, lying lifeless on the train tracks. “Please be breathing,” he moaned, leaning over to listen, relief flooding through him when he had proof of life. “You smell amazing. Sorry, sorry, not the time, but, wow. Your eyelashes are just… right. Eminent danger. Focus, Stark!”

Of course, the one morning he wanted the trains to be late, they were actually running on time. The rails began to sing, the ground vibrating as a train approached. Tony tried and failed to lift him off of the tracks, because apparently he was solid muscle, and weighed a _ton_.

“Not good, not good,” he chanted, looking around for other options. That was when he finally noticed which of the tracks they’d wound up on. “Oh, shit, it’s the express train.”

Yeah, they were going to be flattened like pancakes, and he’d never have his happily ever after, because he’d be dead! Not cool. As the train approached, Tony realized he had enough time to get to safety, or… Well, there really wasn’t a choice. He all but jumped on top of the love of his life, and worked up the momentum to roll them both off of the tracks, and into the little ditch at the side, just in time to avoid getting himself killed.

Things were a bit of a blur after that, Tony in a daze, riding along in the ambulance, finding himself trailing after the paramedics as they wheeled his Prince Charming in through the Emergency Room entrance. Not surprisingly, at some point he was waylaid, a nurse with a take no prisoners attitude stopping him dead in his tracks.

He was so dazed it left him at a significant disadvantage when it came to arguing his case for being allowed back to stay with the handsome stranger.

“Are you family?”

“Well, no, not  _exactly_ —”

“Family only.”

“No, no, wait, you don’t understand, see, I was—”

“I understand the rules are family  _only_.”

That seemed to be the end of that. Tony was left standing there, wide eyed and bereft, watching as the nurse stalked away, making certain the doors shut behind her. Tony let out a sort of strangled noise of disbelief, saying, “but I was going to marry him,” to no one in particular. Of course, since he was out of it, Tony missed the nurse standing nearby, hand fluttering up to her mouth, eyes going soft and sympathetic.

He didn’t leave the hospital, opting instead to grab a vending machine coffee, and walk around in circles, which turned out to be a good thing. The sympathetic nurse came out, spotted him, and held a finger to her lips before leading him back and into the room of the love of his life.

There he was, looking like sleeping beauty, if sleeping beauty had been over six feet tall, broad in the shoulders, and all gorgeous, well defined muscle.

“Let him hear your voice, hon,” the nurse suggested, giving him a little shove closer to the bed.

Tony smiled wanly, then went over, helped himself to a seat, and tried not to giggle like a creep when he took the man’s hand. “Hi.” Tony looked over his shoulder, and the nurse gave him a double thumbs up, and an encouraging nod. “Um. Everything’s going to be fine,” Tony said, not sure what he was supposed to be doing. “I just know it. So, um…”

As soon as the nurse gave them some privacy, Tony snuck a peek at the chart. “Steven Rogers,” he said to himself, grinning. “I bet you go by Steve. You look like a Steve. Oh my god, I’m pathetic. I’m also Tony, by the way, in case you’re actually hearing any of this. Steve and Tony. It has a good ring to it. We could be one of those supercouples, right, with a nickname, like, uh…”

His rambling was cut short by the squawk of a police radio. Tony glanced over his shoulder to see two officers standing outside of the room, talking to the nurse that had let him in. Great. He was going to get escorted out by the cops before Steve even woke up and fell in love with him!

“Is that the guy who saved his life?” one of the officers asked.

“Yeah, but it’s even better than  _that_ ,” the nurse said. “That’s his financé!”

“Whoa!”

That summed it up nicely. Except, no one was more surprised by this statement than Tony. He spun around in the chair, trying to hide the shock and confusion that must be all over his face, staring at Steve. “What the hell?”

Just like that, all hell broke loose. First the police wanted to get Tony’s statement about what had taken place at the train station, but the doctors had shown up, and also wanted to give him the official rundown of Steve’s condition, and just to make it even crazier, what looked to be a gaggle of World War II vets streamed into the room, each one talking louder than the next, and none of them making any sense.

Tony backed himself into a corner of the room and tried to disappear. It didn’t work so well.

“He’s so pale!”

“Oh my god, Stevie!”

“He’ll be alright, won’t he?”

“What happened, what’s going on?”

“He’s in a coma? But it’s Christmas Eve!”

“Someone pushed him from the train platform!”

“I told him riding the train was dangerous.”

Then one of the guys said something in French, and Tony took that as a sign that he should try to get the hell out of there before they noticed him, which was, of course, when they noticed him.

“Who’s he?” the biggest of the bunch asked.

“That’s his fiancé,” the nurse explained.

Not surprisingly, the group went wild. Tony was frozen in place, trying to understand how the hell this had happened, while the people around him shouted to each other about Steve going and getting engaged without telling anybody.

“Look, uh… I’ll just leave, okay, and—”

“Hey, hey, this is the guy that saved his life,” one of the cops said, his voice cutting through the chaos.

A skeptical looking Japanese man shouldered his way to the front of the group. “I thought he was pushed from a train platform?”

“Yeah, and this guy jumped on the tracks, kept him from taking the express train the hard way.” The cop clasped Tony on the shoulder, and looked around the now quiet room. “He’s a hero.”

Taking the momentary calm in the storm as an opportunity, the doctor raised his hands, and began motioning for Tony and the officers to head out into the hallway. “Okay, really, I have to insist—family only.”

“Hey, buddy, he  _is_  family,” the big guy insisted.

“Yeah, didn’t you hear? That’s Steve’s fiancé,” another of the vets added, and a moment later the Frenchman was standing at his side, throwing in his own two cents, though Tony didn’t catch a word of it.

Really, it was shock and confusion more than any desire to weasel his way into Steve Roger’s life that was to blame. Tony couldn’t quite get the words out, because he really had no idea what had started the whole mix-up in the first place. It wasn’t like he’d lied to the cops or the hospital, they’d just… well… and senior citizens or not, the guys crowding around Steve’s hospital bed looked like they could take Tony in a fight without missing a beat.

“I can’t believe Stevie didn’t tell us about you.”

“Whatever happened to that girl he was dating?”

“He was dating someone?”

“Remember how embarrassed he’d always get whenever we’d find out about one of his special someones?”

“Yeah, well, that’s no excuse. We raised a punk, gentlemen!”

Tony found himself being pulled into the group, and then the introductions began. There was Jim Morita, and Gabe Jones, and Jacques Dernier, and the big guy wanted to be called Dum Dum of all things, and it was enough to make Tony’s head spin.

“Really, I don’t… I’m sorry, I just…”

But they ignored him.

“You don’t think he was worried we’d be upset over him marrying a fella, do you?”

“Bucky must know about him,” Morita insisted. “They tell each other everything.”

“I can go, honest, I don’t want to intrude.”

Dum Dum leveled him with a look that froze Tony in his tracks. “No way, no how, Tony. We owe you everything for saving his life.”

“Yeah, the kid might not be ours biologically, but we raised him and Bucky like they were.” Gabe pointed out. “Besides, what kind of people would we be if we let his fiancé spend Christmas alone?”

Which was how he found himself still with the Howling Commandos (this is what they called themselves, apparently) hours later, drinking vending machine coffee, and at a loss as how to answer when they started asking questions any real fiancé should have had answers to.

“So, how’d you meet Steve?”

“Maybe he doesn’t wanna talk about that right now,” Morita suggested.

“Why not? We could all use a nice story.”

This quickly turned into another opportunity to squabble, but eventually they bickered themselves out and Tony was left with all eyes on him again.

“I bet it was love at first sight,” Gabe suggested, sharing a look with Jacques.

Tony must have smiled, or given something away, because the men all made knowing noises, and shared smiles of their own.

“Okay, okay. Uh, we, um, ride the same train in the mornings,” Tony answered, figuring it’d be best to be honest whenever possible. Yeah, as if that would cancel out the awful that was posing as a coma patient’s fiancé.

“What’d you first notice about him?”

Tony thought back to that first morning, the shitty mood he’d been in, and the frustration of almost spilling coffee all over himself, only to look up and accidentally make eye contact with Steve Rogers for five whole seconds. He was patiently listening to an older woman tell him about her sick cat, and he was smiling, and it was like time slowed down, and…

“It was his smile,” Tony admitted, ducking his chin, and clearing his throat. “I, um, I saw his smile, and just knew that, ah… that my life would never be the same.”

“Good answer,” Dum Dum said, clapping Tony on the shoulder.

At some point, he managed to sneak off, but only after giving his contact information to each of the Commandos, and promising that he wasn’t leaving just because of them, and swearing that he would head out to their shared house in Brooklyn to have a Christmas dinner with them once he’d taken care of the business he swore he needed to wrap up.

“Bucky will be there, you have to come!”

That was reason enough to stay away. Apparently Bucky and Steve went together like peanut butter and jelly, so once they realized Bucky  _also_  had no idea who he was, the whole thing would be blown wide open. Which was probably good, really, except he’d put enough together from the conversations around him to figure out that Bucky was also a vet, so it’d probably all end with Tony in a hospital bed just like Steve’s.

He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Just never go back to the hospital? Ignore their calls? Go on with his life as if nothing had happened? Jarvis had never warned him that when The Moment finally came it would be _this crazy_.

+

And yet, at two in the morning he found himself back at the hospital, at Steve’s side, feeling like the world’s biggest scumbag, but unable to stay away.

“Hey.” He considered taking Steve by the hand, but decided not to. “Bet you’re wondering what I’m doing here in the middle of the night, huh? I think you should know, your crazy makeshift family thinks we’re engaged. Which, ah, was never my intention, actually. They seem really great, though. You’re lucky to have people who care about you so much. Whew, um, so this is weird, right?”

Tony took a moment to collect himself, suddenly missing Jarvis so much that it was hard to breathe. It was coming up on three years, and it still hit him hard some days. He’d never felt like an orphan when he was a kid, because of Jarvis, but now…

“Anyway. I didn’t mean for this to happen. And I’m a smart guy, but I’m at a loss here. What am I supposed to do? If you’d just wake up, that’d make this a lot easier. Uh, not that I’m blaming you for being in a coma!”

Steve didn’t seem to mind. He kept on sleeping, oblivious to the man babbling at his bedside. Tony sighed. “Back when I was a kid, I used to try to imagine what my life was going to be like, and, um… I don’t know. I guess I thought it’d be different. I mean, I’m successful, don’t get me wrong, but I spend most of my time in my workshop, building things. I shouldn’t complain, really. Jarvis made sure I didn’t wind up one of those sad little rich boys the tabloids follow around. Low profile is the way to be. Hell, I’m so far removed from the day-to-day that I doubt the board even remembers what I look like.”

Tony watched Steve’s face, his heart aching with want. “This is going to sound incredibly lame, but I always used to daydream about really normal things when I was growing up. I wanted… well, something like what Jarvis and Anna had had together. Or my folks, before they’d died, which at least they did together, right? Er, okay, that sounds weird, but… I dunno. I thought maybe I’d have a family by now.”

The machines beeped, and Steve continued to remain motionless in the bed. Tony shook himself, tried to mentally chastise himself for turning the visit into a pity party. “Do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked, as if Steve could answer. “You seem like you might be a romantic, but maybe you’re too sensible for that sort of thing. How about seeing someone, and just  _knowing_  that if you had a chance to talk to them, they’d realize that  _you_ were the one they wanted to be with? Grow old with?”

Tony took a deep breath, and hung his head in shame. “Wow, I’m so lonely I’m spending the night confusing a man in a coma. Is it strange that I feel like I know you? I mean, we’ve never even spoken to each other, but… No. I’m delusional. Do me a favor? Wake up and tell me to get out, okay?”

He stayed until the sun came up, then, unable to help himself, Tony gave Steve’s hand a little squeeze, then rose from his seat, telling himself this would be the last time he visited. “Bye. We would have had a beautiful life together.”

He almost made it to the bank of elevators when a worn down looking woman came rushing over. “Sir, Mr. Rogers, sir,” she called, and Tony felt his heart lurch. Damn, that had a nice ring to it. “I’m glad I caught you. I have your husband’s things.”

A box was shoved against Tony’s chest, leaving him no choice but to grab it or let it fall to the ground. “Uh, I’m not—we’re not—married, actually, so—”

“Right, sorry, fiancé,” she said, waving her hand and seeming entirely uninterested in taking back the box.

This was all said as a good looking guy strolled up, a bouquet of flowers in hand. His eyes went wide, then narrowed, and before he knew what was going on, Tony had someone in his face. “Did I hear that right? You’re his fiancé?”

Tony held onto the box as if it could protect him. “That’s what you heard, yes.”

“Holy shit. That little sneak! I can’t believe Rogers was keeping you on the downlow.” The guy smiled, gave Tony’s shoulder a squeeze and a shake, then peered through the doorway to where Steve was lying in the bed, oblivious to it all. “I work with him at S.H.I.E.L.D., I’m sure he’s mentioned me. Clint Barton.”

“Right, sure.”

He needed to find a way out of the conversation. Out of Steve’s life, really.

Barton was eyeballing him pretty hard. “Why did you say it like that? Wait… did he… It was an  _accident_ , man, we were shooting hoops, and I forgot about my lucky dart, and…”

Tony wasn’t ever going to forget that particular conversation, as much as he wanted to. He listened, feeling queasy, then took off running as soon as he could get away from Barton.

What he needed was advice.

+

“What’s the big deal?”

“Rhodey, what part did you miss?” Tony hissed into the phone. “They think I’m their future son-in-law! And… and statistically speaking, at least one of them has to have some sort of heart condition, so maybe I tell them the truth and the shock is too much, and I  _kill a member of his family_. This is the definition of a big deal!”

“Fine, just ride it out, then.”

Tony pulled the phone away from his ear, stared at it, then brought it back up to the side of his head. “Ride it out?”

“Sure. Just go along with it, and when this guy finally comes out of his coma, they’ll be so happy they won’t even care you lied to them.”

“Oh my god, this is literally the worst advice I’ve ever heard. Let me talk to Pepper.”

“She’s busy running your company.”

“What if he never comes out of the coma, Rhodey?”

“I don’t know, Tony. How do you even get yourself into these situations? If you’re worried about giving someone a heart attack, just keep  it up for a bit, I guess. See what the doctors say about him waking up, and  _then_  make your decision.”

“So you think I should go to this family thing they’re having.”

“You already decided you want to go,” Rhodey pointed out. “Don’t know why you’re asking me for permission. Like you’ve ever listened to me, anyway.”

“I listen.”

“All the dates I tried to set you up on,” Rhodey sighed, “with people that weren’t in a coma.”

“You’re a bad man, and no help at all. I love you, see you soon.”

“Love you too, Tony. It’ll work out, just hang in there.”

He spent most of the day arguing with himself over whether or not he was actually going to Brooklyn, but as the time to leave grew closer, he refocused on figuring out what he should wear instead. He opted for tailored jeans, and a shirt and sweater combo, figuring one of his gold ties would feel festive with the red of the sweater.

Tony had meant to bring the box with him, the one with Steve’s things from the hospital, but managed to forget it. Possibly on purpose.

He rode the trains out to Brooklyn, because taking one of his expensive cars was just going to raise too many questions. It was cold and crisp, but he didn’t mind the short walk to the brownstone owned by Steve’s strange, makeshift family. Maybe it would clear his head, and he’d finally figure a way out of the mess.

When he arrived, Dum Dum was sitting out front, cigar tucked into the corner of his mouth. “Hey, you made it!”

Tony gave a little wave. “Yup. Looks like.”

“How you holding up?”

Guilt washed over him. As much as he felt for Steve, they really didn’t have any sort of relationship. The rest of them knew and loved him for real, and were dealing with their adopted son being in a coma. He was the scum of the earth, without a doubt. He deserved to die alone.

“Don’t worry about me. How about you guys?”

Dum Dum shrugged. “Staying optimistic. We all know Steve is a fighter. He’ll come out of this, he just needs a little time.” Dum Dum pointed to the step. “Keep me company while I finish this up?”

“Sure.”

“I’m glad you showed up. Having you here will give everyone something to focus on other than worst case scenarios.” Tony nodded dutifully. “Makes it feel a bit like the family’s still together.”

“Family is important,” Tony murmured. “You’re lucky. Uh, I mean… just, having each other, especially around the holidays. It’s, um. Nice.”

Dum Dum was watching him without being obvious about it. “Your parents live around here?”

Tony managed a small, apologetic smile. “They died in a car crash when I was a kid. My uncle Jarvis stepped in, though, raised me on his own. But, um, he got pretty sick, and… It’s been a couple years, now, but it still feels a bit like yesterday.”

“I know how that is. Lost a lot of good people over the years.” Dum Dum puffed on his cigar, and sighed. “Well, all these people here tonight? They’re my family by choice, and I love ‘em. I’d never let anyone hurt them.”

And for reasons he couldn’t understand, Tony looked up, met Dum Dum’s steady gaze, and said, “Neither would I.”

“You know, I believe that.”

Before he knew what was happening, Tony found himself being led inside. A glass of eggnog was shoved into his hand after everyone took turns hugging him, and welcoming him to the household.

It wasn’t like any sort of Holiday to-do he’d ever experienced growing up. There were decorations everywhere, and everyone more or less talked over each other at a steady stream, conversations colliding. He and Jarvis had done their best to be festive, but the mansion Tony had inherited always dwarfed the two occupants, and after Jarvis passed away, he’d moved into the city, preferring to hole up in an admittedly sterile apartment in the building where he worked. It meant he could pop down to the workshop when he couldn’t sleep, and sometimes he could pretend that the other people living and working in the building were his friends, which was actually crushingly pathetic now that he was thinking about it.

In reality, Tony wasn’t entirely alone. He had Rhodey and Pepper, although they were both extremely busy, and when they weren’t working they were trying to start a family of their own together. And there was Bruce, his brother in science, but it wasn’t the same as having a special someone, or having Jarvis.

The Commandos were like a breath of fresh air. Sure, he spent most of the time terrified that he’d be found out, but the rest of it was a blur of half hugs, back slaps, good food, being crammed into family photo opportunities, and listening to story after story of Steve and Bucky’s childhood.

When it came time to leave, no one let him, which was probably good considering they’d plied him with enough eggnog that he was likely to screw up the train ride home and wake up in New Jersey or somewhere equally horrible.

Of course, while he was letting himself pass out on the couch, Morita covering him with a blanket and mussing up his hair, back in the box of possessions in his apartment, Steve’s phone was ringing, the call going to voicemail.

“Hello, darling, sorry I keep missing you. I really should have these time zone differences figured out by now, shouldn’t I? Well, while it is lovely to be back in London, I’m calling because I’m cutting my trip short. Steve… I’ve done a lot of thinking, and I can honestly say nothing would make me happier than being your wife. So… yes! I will marry you, darling. Call me back this time? You’re starting to make me worry. I love you.”

+

Bucky snuck into the house in the wee hours of the morning, having made a detour to the hospital in order to see Steve. Despite the heavy weight in his heart, just walking through the doors of their old place was enough to make him feel hopeful again. It had that Christmas smell of Spruce and sugar cookies, and under everything else that scent he always associated with home.

He shook the snow off his boots, began unwinding his scarf, and opened his mouth to shout a greeting when Morita appeared out of nowhere and gave him a slap to the back of the head. “Stow it, soldier, you’re gonna wake Tony.”

Bucky leaned around Morita and spotted a lump on the couch, but before he could investigate he felt himself being dragged along toward the kitchen. “Who’s Tony?”

“ _Tony_ , Steve’s fiancé.”

Surprised didn’t quite cover it. Bucky fumbled the mug of coffee Morita handed him and would have wound up wearing it if his reflexes weren’t so good. Once it was back on the counter, Bucky shook his head, finally having convinced himself he misunderstood. “Uh, what’re you talking about, Jim?”

“You haven’t met Tony yet?”

“Of course I haven’t,” Bucky snapped, yanking off his coat. “Steve doesn’t  _have_  a fiancé!”

To Bucky’s surprise, Mortia just rolled his eyes. “You know how shy he gets. Wait til you meet him, you’re gonna love him.”

Morita shoved a plate of cookies at Bucky, and unable to think of anything else to do, he scooped two up and ate them robotically, his mind trying and failing to come to grips with what he was hearing. Steve was engaged. Bucky had put two and two together and figured out that Steve might be seeing someone, but he’d never thought it was anything serious. If it was, he’d have brought her around to meet the family. And… and now that he was thinking about it, Tony sounded an awful lot like a guy’s name.

“Are you seriously telling me Stevie is marrying a  _man_?”

Mortia tossed one of the potholders at Bucky’s head, scoring a direct hit. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Oh my god,  _that’s_  what you’re worried about?”

“Are you seriously telling me that  _you_ , of all people, is judgemental about that sort of thing?” Morita asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Bucky could feel himself blushing. Morita had been the first of his family to figure out he was gay, but only because he’d walked in on Bucky getting hot and seriously heavy with the Murdock boy from up the street. It was still up there as one of the most embarrassing moments in his life.

“I’m not, you know I’m not.”

“So what’s the problem?”

Bucky opened and closed his mouth a few times, struggling to put it into words. “He woulda told me if he was engaged,” he finally said, deflating.

Only, maybe he  _wouldn’t_ have. Bucky had changed quite a bit after being discharged from the Army, had become withdrawn in a lot of ways, and made a lot of people uncomfortable with his coping strategy. Still, he’d never once thought he’d managed to make Steve feel like he had to keep good news to himself. Or, maybe he’d just been worried about introducing his special someone to his dysfunctional, one-armed, adopted brother.

“Maybe this is new and scary to him,” Morita suggested, giving Bucky’s shoulder a squeeze.

“I knew he was seeing someone,” Bucky admitted, looking over his shoulder as if Steve was going to walk in. “He didn’t come out and say it, but I figured it out. Guess I assumed he’d open his mouth if it was something serious.”

“Well, you two can hash it out when he wakes up.”

Bucky drank his coffee in silence, content to watch Jim bustle around the kitchen, but at some point he wandered out to perch himself about halfway up the staircase. He and Steve had spent a lot of time sitting there together, shoulder to shoulder, back when Bucky still had both his arms, and Steve was skinny as a beanpole.

He was still sitting there when someone with a bad case of bedhead, and an amazing ass attempted to creep out the front door.

“Good morning.”

Unable to help himself, Bucky cracked a smile when Tony jumped in surprise. Of course, his breath was taken away a moment later when the man in question spun on his heels, all big brown eyes, and sheepish expression. For just a moment, Bucky forgot everything—Steve being stuck in a hospital bed; his missing arm; that this was supposedly his brother’s fiancé—his heart kicking into overdrive, because this guy was  _gorgeous_.

“Oh, um, good morning, Bucky.”

The grin being aimed at him was a little brittle around the edges, but Bucky didn’t notice so much. He was distracted by the dark, messy hair, and the eyelashes, the richness of Tony’s voice, and the little bit of stubble beginning to show around his well-groomed beard.

“Guess I don’t remember meeting you,” Bucky said when he could speak again. He sounded accusatory even to his own ears.

If anything, Tony’s smile strengthened. “Well, that’s probably because we haven’t met.”

“That might have something to do with it.”

They stared at each other, until Tony cleared his throat, and pointed to the door. “Oh, hey, my cab is probably here, because I called one, and, uh… So I have to go, being, uh, really late. For that thing.” Tony made some complicated hand gesture, before scrambling for the door. “But, really, great meeting you, Bucky. So, ah, goodbye.”

Flustered was a good look for Tony. Bucky waited until he was almost out the door before finally caving to the manners he was raised with. “Tony?”

“Yeah?” Tony popped his head back through the opening of the door, looking anxious and apologetic. Bucky wondered what sort of expression he had on his own face, because suddenly Tony looked almost close to tears. “Okay, okay, I understand this is all, um, really confusing, so—”

Bucky felt like an asshole. Whether or not Steve was comfortable sharing the ups and downs of his personal life was between the two of them, and no fault of Tony’s. Here he was, his fiancé in a coma, only getting to meet the family because of horrible circumstances, and to top it all off, he was being given the stink eye by his soon to be brother-in-law. All because Bucky was feeling slighted.

“Welcome to the family,” he interrupted.

Tony’s eyes went wide, and for some reason he looked away, something like misery flashing across his face before he was wearing another smile. “Thanks. That’s… thanks.”

The cab honked, and Tony nodded his head, gave a little wave, and all but ran out to the waiting car. Bucky watched him go, feeling more than a little sick to his stomach. Of course Steve would have to go out and fall in love with someone that could have been pulled straight from the pages of the Bucky Barnes’s Type catalog.

He tried to be mature about it all, but Bucky couldn’t help himself. He tried not to examine precisely why he was clinging to denial, happier convincing himself it was purely out of brotherly concern for Steve. The fact that his mind looped back again and again to Tony’s puppy-like brown eyes, and the way his jeans and sweater clung to him had nothing to do with it at all.

“Seriously, Jacques, what do we even know about this guy?”

Everyone around the table groaned and rolled their eyes. Dum Dum set the salt shaker down with a bit more force than was necessary, pinning Bucky with one of his most serious looks.

“How ‘bout the fact that he jumped in front of an oncoming express train to save your brother’s life?”

“Okay, fine,” Bucky conceded. He lasted another eight minutes, then blurted, “So why’d he go and sneak out this morning?”

“He wasn’t sneaking out,” Gabe insisted, Jacques backing him up with some colorful language. “He’s got a job, just like most folks. There’s no need to wake the whole household just cause he’s heading out. Besides, we have his number and address, and he’s got ours. No big deal.”

Bucky shut up after that, mostly because he knew where the address book was, which meant checking up on his brother’s so called fiancé just got a hell of a lot easier.

Except, when he showed up, Tony wasn’t at home. He also lived in one expensive ass building. Bucky hadn’t even known Stark Tower had apartments or condos or whatever they were, had always assumed it was all dedicated to business.

He managed to charm his way into the place, and even made it up to the floor where this Tony S. lived, only to get no answer.

“You looking for someone in particular?”

Bucky whirled around, surprised to find he was no longer alone. A curly headed man with glasses was staring at him, looking calm as a cucumber as he blew on a steaming mug of something.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“Yeah, I’m looking for Tony.”

“You’re looking for  _Tony_?” the man asked, arching his eyebrow and shoving his empty hand into the pocket of his labcoat. “Wow, I can’t remember the last time he had a visitor.”

“Who are you?”

The man smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m somebody that cares about Tony. Who are you, exactly?”

Something about the guy sent off Bucky’s nerves. The Army had done a pretty good job of teaching him to size people up, and despite all appearances there was some undercurrent of violence to the person sharing the hallway with him.

“I’m his fiancé’s brother.”

He hadn’t exactly expected laughter. “Okay, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave the building now. Tony can bring you up himself if he wants visitors. I’ll be sure to let him know you stopped by.”

Bucky allowed himself to be shoved back into the elevator, scowling at the little wave he got before the doors slid closed. “That went well,” he grumbled to himself.

If he wanted clues into what the hell was going on, he’d have to start looking somewhere else for the time being.

+

The reason Tony wasn’t at home was because he was at Steve’s place. He’d gone home, left a message for Bruce telling him he was feeling under the weather and might not be around for a day or so, then indulged in a long shower.

He’d planned on just throwing himself face down in the bed and feeling sorry for himself for a couple hours, but spotted the box the nurse had given him, and decided to crack it open. Steve’s phone was in there, and to Tony’s surprise it didn’t even require a passcode to unlock it.

“You’re too trusting, Steve,” he lamented, immediately going to the Photos app.

The phone must have been new, or else Steve didn’t use the camera very often, because the only photos were of him and an admittedly adorable kitten. It looked like he had a couple voicemails, but Tony resisted the temptation to play any of them.

His clothes and shoes were in the box, along with his keys, his wallet, and his Metro Card. Tony couldn’t help himself, and put on the shirt, laughing at the way he swum in it, closing his eyes as he breathed in the scent of Steve. Steve the trusting stranger whose life he had invaded.

“I’m so fucked up,” he admitted to no one at all.

And that would have been that, except as soon as he closed his eyes, it occurred to him that the adorable little kitty was probably stuck in Steve’s apartment, getting hungrier and lonelier by the minute. He could almost hear the pathetic mewling, as Fluffy, or whatever its name was, cried and stared at the door, waiting for Steve to come back home.

“Damn it.”

So he got dressed, stuffed Steve’s phone into his pocket along with the keys, making sure to stop and get some of the most expensive cat food he could find before heading back to Brooklyn. Again.

He didn’t bother telling the cab to wait, and took a moment to collect Steve’s mail before walking up the four flights of stairs to his apartment. Unlike in his imagination, the kitty wasn’t waiting by the door. “If you’re dead, I’ll never forgive myself,” Tony muttered, looking around for any sign of the cat.

Steve’s place was a lot smaller than what Tony was used to, but then again, he was spoiled. It was typical of the neighborhood, and the building seemed to be very well maintained. Steve was neat and tidy, but unlike Tony’s place, he had little mementos scattered around almost everywhere you looked. Photos of a much scrawnier Steve Rogers with his arm around an adorably young Bucky’s shoulders. Next to that was a framed photo of a lovely woman; Tony didn’t need the name Sarah Rogers that was carved into the frame to know she was Steve’s mom. Another shelf had Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia, what looked to be UK style identity disks for someone named James Montgomery Falsworth, along with some snow globes. Drawings and watercolor paintings were hung here and there throughout the place. It gave everything a nice, homey feel that put Tony at ease, even though he didn’t belong there.

“Kitty, kitty, kitty,” he called, for lack of anything better to say.

Tony shrugged himself out of his coat, and headed into the tiny kitchen. This was also clean, and unable to help himself, Tony opened the fridge and freezer, smiling over all the health food covering the shelves on the fridge side, and all the cartons of Chunky Monkey ice cream in the freezer.

As if remembering why he was there, Tony tossed the can of food into the air, caught it, then started rummaging. He was perhaps a bit too triumphant over finding the can opener in under two minutes, opened the tin of catfood, and announced, “Chow time, kitty-face! Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

When he stepped out of the cramped kitchen, he almost dropped the can of catfood, and most definitely screamed. “Fuck me!”

Not that it was any consolation, but Bucky seemed as surprised as Tony felt, jumping guilty as he let go of Tony’s jacket, letting it fall back onto the couch. “How’d you get in here?”

“Uhh, keys,” he snapped, gripping his chest. He felt like his heart was going to punch its way free. “How do you think?”

Bucky’s expression darkened. “You must stay here a lot, then, I guess.”

Tony wasn’t sure what to say. Steve’s brother scared the shit out of him, because unlike everyone else, he seemed to have seen right through the bullshit and come to the correct conclusion that Tony was a pathetic, creepy loser attempting to invade his brother’s life. Which, you know, was fair, all things considered, but Bucky didn’t have to go and be all handsome on top of it. That was just annoying.

Because, yes. Steve was gorgeous in the way Prince Charmings always were, but there was something about the intensity in Bucky’s pale eyes, and the dimple in his chin, and the disapproving tilt to his plush lips that made Tony feel all funny inside. He was beautiful in the way dangerous things sometimes were, and Tony did not at all appreciate noticing this.

“Well, uh, not that often,” he stammered, shifting from foot to foot. “I figured I should come over and feed the cat, though.”

Bucky smirked at him. “Stevie doesn’t have a cat.”

Tony’s mouth fell open in surprise. Shit. He’d assumed… But then, as if fate was on his side in this whole mess, the adorable calico kitten from the photos wandered in the room, circling around Tony’s feet before mewling primly.

“Hey, Fluffy,” Tony said, feeling vindicated. He crouched down and scratched the kitty behind its ears, eyes going wide when he saw a tiny nametag on the collar the cat was wearing. Sure enough, Fluffy was stamped into the metal. Tony just managed to avoid saying, “no shit?” out loud as he put the can of food down. “Don’t you want to say hi to Bucky?”

His elation wore off when he looked up and saw the wounded expression Bucky was wearing. Cripes, what was wrong with him? The guy’s brother was in a coma, and here Tony was, feeling very “told you so” over having gotten something right.

Before he could say anything, the phone began to ring. Only, not his own cell, or Bucky’s, but Steve’s phone. Bucky watched him expectantly. “Aren’t you gonna get that?”

“Nah, it can go to voicemail.”

Tony stood up, grimacing when Bucky turned and fished the phone out of Tony’s jacket, making a big point of glaring when he slid his thumb across the screen to accept the call. “Hello?” His brows drew together, and Tony somehow managed to keep from running away. Bucky shook his head, jaw tightening as he held out the phone. “It’s for you.”

“For me?” Tony’s surprise could not have been more genuine. He assumed Bucky was fucking with him, until the person on the other end of the line started talking. “Sure, definitely.”

“What was that all about?”

Bucky had one arm wrapped around himself as he watched the cat eating. “The, uh, hospital. They said usually when there’s a situation like this, the family goes and donates blood, um. Just in case.”

“We should go then.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure.” Bucky watched him expectantly. “What, now?”

“I got my truck outside, come on.”

Tony took his time locking up, setting out another can of food for Fluffy before they left. To say it was an awkward ride would have been the understatement of the century.

“When’d you and Steve start seeing each other?” Bucky asked, nothing at all casual about his tone.

“Three months ago,” which was true, even if Steve didn’t know it.

“Three months. That’s quick.”

“You have no idea,” Tony muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. Bucky drove like an old man, and it was giving him agita. “This thing go above thirty-five, or what?”

“Three months and engaged? I mean, that’s  _fast_.”

Tony squeezed his eyes shut. “Yup. I’m as surprised as you are.”

“You’re comfortable gettin’ hitched to someone you’ve only been with for three months?” Bucky asked, and something in the tone of his voice pissed Tony off.

“Hey, you know what? Yes, it  _is_  fast. We’ve established this. Speaking of fast, how about we put both hands on the steering wheel, hit the gas, and just get to the hospital as quickly as possible?”

Bucky didn’t say anything after that.

Of course, it wasn’t until they were being led back by the nurses and set up to have blood taken that Tony realized one of Bucky’s arms was a prosthetic. Sure, he’d been distracted, and this was the first he was seeing Bucky without a jacket on, but Tony still felt like an unobservant idiot for not having picked up on it earlier. Once he knew, the way Bucky held himself, and the cautious driving made more sense. Also, his both hands on the steering wheel remark suddenly seemed a lot nastier, since Steve would have probably mentioned to his fiancé that his beloved brother was missing an arm.

“Sorry I’m being an asshole.”

Bucky tensed up, shifting ever so slightly so that his body was blocking the prosthetic from Tony’s view. “S’okay. We’re all a little on edge. What with Steve n’ all.”

“Still not an excuse,” Tony insisted. He willed his blood to leave his body faster so he and his shame could go hide somewhere.

It was quiet for a moment, then Bucky asked, “Which one of  _The Three Stooges_  was Steve’s favorite?” as innocently as possible.

“Curley,” Tony answered on a hunch.

“He’s everybody’s favorite.”

“I always liked Shemp.”

He could feel Bucky staring at him. “Yankees or the Mets?”

Despite himself, Tony smiled, turning his head to meet Bucky’s inquisitiveness head on. He had an eyebrow arched, and a bit of a wise-ass grin going, which went nicely with the stubbled jaw, and broad shoulders, and the tight olive drab t-shirt he was wearing. The arm Bucky still had was decorated in a few spots with tattoos, and Tony had to assume the chain he could see peeking out of Bucky’s collar was for a set of dog tags.

“Brooklyn Dodgers,” Tony answered, smiling sweetly.

“Favorite ice cream?”

“Chunky Monkey,” Tony answered, feeling pretty damn impressed with himself.

If anything, Bucky looked more suspicious, which just wasn’t fair. “Who was that guy at your place?”

“What?”

Tony froze, mind going blank, blood draining out of his face. Bucky had been to his place? When?  _How_? Oh, of course, he’d given his address to Jim, which was incredibly stupid in retrospect, but he’d been having such a good time getting drunk on eggnog and feeling like he had a family again, that…

“He seemed sort of…  _invested_.”

“Invested?” Tony balked, trying to look around the nurse. She ignored his distress, and continued to disconnect him from the blood bag. “What are you talking about?”

“I got the feeling the two of you were particularly close,” Bucky said, insinuation hanging in the air. “Curly hair, glasses, says he cares about you?”

“Bruce?”

“Must be,” Bucky said, frowning. “Unless you got a couple guys on the side instead of just the one.”

“He’s my lab partner,” Tony snapped, wondering how it was he’d gone from proving he was seeing Steve to needing to assure Bucky he wasn’t  _cheating_  on Steve. “We  _work_ together.”

“You’re all done, sweetie,” the nurse said, handing him a cookie. “Give it a couple minutes before you get up.”

Tony took the cookie, shoved it in his mouth, and scrambled out of the bed as soon as she left the room. Bucky wasn’t going to let up anytime soon, and if he let himself get mad he’d go and put his foot in it. Maybe he could just leave the country until everyone just forgot about him?

“Hey, she said to wait!”

“I’m fine. See you later.”

Tony had to hold onto the wall for part of the journey, but then he got his legs back under him again, and headed into the hall, ignoring Bucky’s protests. Of course, he just ran face first into Dum Dum’s chest, then before he could so much as open his mouth, he was being steered back into Steve’s hospital room, feeling like he was two seconds away from a full on panic attack.

“Ignore Bucky, he’s got a bee in his bonnet for some reason.”

“No, it’s fine, I should go,” Tony insisted, but Gabe and Jacques had spotted him, and so he was surrounded by Commandos by the time Bucky stormed into the room after him.

“Don’t be silly,” Jim said, patting him on the back. “We were just keeping Steve company. He’ll be happy to know you’re here.”

“If you’re just co-workers, why are you stormin’ off, Tony?”

Dum Dum folded his arms across his chest. “What’re you going on about, Buck?”

“Don’t ask me, ask Tony’s boyfriend.”

“I don’t  _have_  a boyfriend,” he groaned, while around him everyone began talking at once. More like shouting, actually, Bucky accusing them all of being suckers for not questioning Tony’s supposed engagement to Steve, until Jacques stomped his foot, and exploded in a flurry of French that had everyone shutting up. Bucky looked pale by the time the man was through.

Gabe nodded, adding, “Exactly, if Tony wanted to prove it to you, he could prove it, Buck.”

Flushed in the face and breathing heavily, Bucky whirled to face Tony. “Fine. So prove it.”

It wasn’t until he opened his mouth that Tony knew how he was going to get out of the moment, the run in with Clint popping into his mind at the last moment. “He only has one testicle!” he announced triumphantly.

“No way!” Morita laughed, while the other Commandos exchanged questioning looks. Bucky continued to glare at him, mouth now hanging open in shock.

“There’s one way to find out,” Gabe said in the ensuing silence. Everyone turned to look at him, and he hung his head. “Me? Really?”

“You’re the one that suggested it,” Dum Dum pointed out.

Tony held his breath as Gabe walked around the bed, lifted up the blanket, did some adjusting underneath, and, “Holy shit, he’s right!”

Everyone turned to look first at Tony, and then at Bucky. It was strange, watching the emotions flicker across his handsome features, until Bucky finally swallowed, and nodded his head. “Fine. I’m sorry, okay? I’ll let it drop already.”

Tony understandably had to explain how a basketball game with Clint had led to Steve losing a testicle. Why Clint needed to keep a lucky dart in his back pocket was something no one could explain.

Throughout the rest of the uncomfortable visit, he caught Bucky watching him, something like sadness in his eyes as he looked between Tony and the sleeping figure of Steve in his hospital bed.

+

The last person Tony expected to have buzz to be let up to see him later that evening was Dum Dum Dugan, but there he was, shouldering his way through the door as soon as Tony answered. He almost stopped in his tracks, looking around the place with wide eyes before glancing over his shoulder at Tony.

“You rich or something, kid?”

“Or something,” Tony said with a shrug, shutting the door. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Nah, I’m driving. I won’t keep you long, son, just… Well. I feel like I oughta tell you, I was outside Steve’s hospital room the other night, and I mighta heard some of the things you were telling him.”

Tony struggled to remember what it was he’d said, even as his stomach sank down into his shoes.

“How you’ve never even spoken to each other?” Dum Dum prompted, smiling softly.

“I… I’m sorry,” he stammered, because obviously this was the end. “I’m so,  _so_  sorry. I actually have no idea why or how the people at the hospital thought I was his fiancé! It all happened so fast, and I’ll… I’ll tell them everything, honest—”

“Don’t you dare,” Dum Dum interrupted. Tony blinked up at him in confusion, didn’t protest when the larger man led him over to the couch, and sat him down. “You’re the only thing keeping everyone’s spirits up right now. Remember our little talk, and how you said you’d never do anything to hurt the family? Well, telling them the truth right now would hurt ‘em, Tony.”

Tony bent at the waist, head in his hands, groaning. “But I’m a creep!”

“No you’re not,” Dum Dum insisted, rubbing circles against his back. “You’re a good guy. Lonely, too. Well, all of us understand that well enough. We had to band together, make our own family, and I think you know a thing or two about that. I’m gonna keep your secret, and you’re gonna do the right thing, and keep it up until Steve wakes up again.”

Feeling oddly relieved, Tony looked into Dum Dum’s eyes, and let himself be pulled into a half hug. “Now get some rest, and come see us soon. Okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” he promised, feeling overwhelmed. That seemed to be his default state as of late. “Thanks… ah, for, well. Everything.”

In a daze, Tony walked Dum Dum to the front door, figuring that was as crazy as his night could get.

“Oh, hey, how’d you know about the whole… testicle thing?” Dum Dum asked at the last minute, then shook his head. “Wait, I don’t wanna know. Goodnight, Tony.”

He spent a good twenty minutes just sitting with his back to the door, wanting to cry, but not being able to. He was still sitting there when the buzzer rang for the second time that night. Dragging himself back up to his feet, Tony pressed for the intercom. “Who is it?”

“Bucky.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Uh, I can hear you, you know?” Bucky added, and Tony squeaked, then let go of the button. “C’mon, it’s cold outside, and I come bearing gifts.”

Against his better judgement, Tony buzzed Bucky in, and walked out into the hallway to meet him at the elevator. When the doors opened, there he was, wearing a sheepish grin that, combined with his pink cheeks, absolutely made him the most adorable thing Tony had ever seen.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” Tony answered. It was occurring to him that he was barefoot, in pajama bottoms, and wearing Steve’s shirt like the awful,  _awful_  person he was. He folded his arms across his chest, and shifted awkwardly. “You didn’t have to lie about gifts, I would have let you up.”

Bucky shrugged, and glanced at Tony’s feet. “Your present is outside, punk. It’s furniture. Thought we could take it over to Steve’s. It’s, um, an engagement gift for the two of you.”

Tony swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat, the tears he’d been searching for finally making an appearance when he no longer wanted them. “You shouldn’t have. I mean, thank you, but—”

“If it makes you feel any better, it’s actually from Gabe and Jacques,” Bucky said, reaching out to keep the elevator doors from closing. “I’m just the delivery guy.”

It was a bad idea.

Except, Bucky looked like he expected to be shot down, and there was something about that that didn’t sit well with Tony.

“Give me five minutes?”

The smile he got in return was probably the most genuine one yet. It made Bucky even cuter.

Tony rushed back inside, put on one of his own shirts, tugged on socks and boots, and his coat, feeling proud of himself for managing to remember the keys for Steve’s place.

This time, the silence was a little more comfortable, and peppered with a bit of small talk. “So, what do you do for a living?”

“Uh, tinker, mostly. I like to build things.”

“Me too,” Bucky said, a smile in his voice. “Steve’s good at a lot of stuff, but I still remember him trying to assemble Ikea furniture this one time and just about throwing it all out the window in frustration.”

A little laugh escaped before Tony could bite down on it, because he could picture that, oddly enough. Laughing felt nice, especially when Bucky joined in. “He’s a good artist, though,” Tony pointed out, thinking of the watercolors he’d seen. “Anything I draw is purely technical and not worth hanging up. Well… some of the equations are suitable for framing, but then again, I’m a huge nerd who thinks math is beautiful.”

“I can see that,” Bucky said, surprising him. “I like technical drawings. Blueprints, especially. I wanted to be an architect when I was a kid. I joined the Army for the education benefits, but, ah… Sometimes things don’t work out the way you imagined they would when you were seven, right?”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, studying Bucky’s profile. “I always expected to have kids by now.”

Bucky looked away from the road, his eyes wide with surprise. “Really?”

“What? Lots of people want kids.” Bucky was just staring at him though, and suddenly Tony felt himself getting defensive. “Got something against gay people having kids?”

There was legitimate shock on Bucky’s face. “Whoa, hey, no! Of course not.” His eyes narrowed, the suspicion returning. “You know I’m gay, right?” It was Tony’s turn to be surprised, which in turn led to Bucky looking forlorn again. “Wow. He never told you, did he?”

“Yes, he told me,” Tony groaned. He was fucking up again, and they’d only just gotten comfortable with each other. “But, um, I forgot. Look, I’m exhausted, and—”

“It’s fine, whatever,” Bucky grumbled. A couple of minutes later, he added, “It’s just that growing up, I was the one who wanted kids. Steve always said they grossed him out, so… Sounds like another thing about himself that he didn’t bother telling me.”

“He loves you a lot,” Tony blurted, cringing as soon as he said it. What the hell did he know, anyway? Each time he talked to Bucky, he only made things worse. “He’ll tell you himself when he wakes up.”

It was quiet for a moment. “Thanks. That, um… that means a lot.”

“I’m sorry we had to meet like this,” Tony said, trying and failing not to stare at Bucky as they pulled up in front of Steve’s building. “You seem like a great guy.”

“Nah. I used to be okay before the Army, but ever since losing the arm, I’ve been a miserable bastard. I can’t really blame Steve for keeping his fella to himself. Probably worried his crazy brother would scare you off.”

“Hey, that’s bullshit, and you know it.”

Bucky cut the ignition, and shrugged. “Maybe. I dunno. We just used to be really close, and now it’s like… like I don’t even know what’s going on in his life anymore.”

“Well, once he wakes up, he can tell you all about it,” Tony insisted, swallowing past the lump in his throat. Dum Dum might think continuing to play the role of Steve’s fiancé was a good idea, but obviously there was one member of the family that had been hurt by his lies. “I promise, he hasn’t changed that much.”

The smile Bucky gave him was genuine, and grateful, and Tony’s stomach flopped nervously. It took all his self control to keep from hugging Bucky, which was bad. Really, really bad. “So, furniture?”

“Right.”

He couldn’t help himself. “Sure you want to park so close to that car?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “It’ll be fine. We just gotta unload, and then we’ll be out of here.” He opened the back of his truck, and Tony peered in, smiling.

“Wow, that’s gorgeous,” he said, eyes falling immediately to the rocking chair. It looked like it had been built by hand, carved, and polished, all lovely detail and good workmanship. He had a stupid flash of himself sitting in the chair, rocking a cranky baby to sleep, and blushed furiously when Bucky interrupted the daydream.

“You like that?”

“Are you kidding? It’s  _perfect_.”

Bucky sidled up to him, standing close enough for their arms to brush, smiling down at Tony in a heartstopping kind of way. “Too bad. The loveseat is yours.”

“Oh, uh, shit, sorry, I—”

“Don’t be,” Bucky said, knocking his elbow against Tony’s. “I made that.”

“Seriously?” Tony smiled back, then stared at the chair some more. “Can I at least try it out?”

“Rock on.”

“I hope you do this for a living, because  _wow_. Craftsmanship is sexy.”

Bucky ducked his chin, and smiled. “Nah, it’s just a hobby.”

“You could sell these. Make a killing.”

“Takes me too long to make ‘em with just the one hand,” Bucky explained. “But one of the guys in my group got me hooked on it. Sort of forces me to slow down, really let go of all the shit in my head, and focus. It’s therapeutic, as crazy as that sounds.”

“That doesn’t sound crazy at all,” Tony swore, rocking away happily. “I get that way when I’m working, too. All of my problems seem like they belong to someone else for a little while. And, um… I dunno. I like creating something, then seeing people get to use it. Makes me feel like I’m not wasting my life.”

Bucky stared at him, and Tony wondered what he was thinking about. “Hey, tell you what. I’ll make another one, and it’ll be for you and Steve. A real present, from me.”

Tony felt his stomach lurch yet again. Somehow, he’d managed to forget the whole fake engagement thing, too caught up in enjoying their little peaceful moment. “That’s too much, really.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Bucky swore, scuffing the toe of his boot against the ground. “Kinda obvious you’re not pulling my leg about liking it. Besides, um… it’ll come in handy for when you start a family.”

Bucky gave him a shy little smile, his eyes bright, and maybe a little sad. Tony could only nod, and say, “that’d be great, thanks,” before scrambling back out of the truck. Bucky was a nice guy, just looking out for his brother, and trying to make sense of what was obviously a load of lies, so it was probably entirely inappropriate for Tony to be feeling exceptionally sorry for himself in that moment. He was never going to have kids, because he was going to die alone, and unloved, and…

Taking a deep breath, he shoved all that aside, and forced a smile. “I’m getting cold.”

“Let’s get to work, then,” Bucky suggested, giving Tony a playful punch on the shoulder. “It’ll warm you up.”

Tony helped Bucky wrestle the loveseat out of the back of the truck, his melancholy slipping away as they manhandled the furniture up into Steve’s building. They tried and failed not to laugh along the way when they got the loveseat wedged, eventually managing to shoulder it through the door without any of Steve’s neighbors threatening to call the cops because of the racket.

After some careful rearranging, and some time spent petting Fluffy, the two men headed back downstairs, only for Tony to burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny.” Someone had blocked Bucky in, wedging their car in behind him so close that there was no way he would be able to pull out of the spot. Bucky looked around, as if he could somehow figure out who on the block the car belonged to, then threw his hand up in the air in defeat.

“Told you not to park so close to the car in front of you! Well, have fun with that,” Tony said, clapping Bucky on the back, grinning. “I’m heading back home.”

“You’re gonna leave me here with the truck?”

“Go on up and stay in Steve’s place till they leave,” Tony suggested, tossing the keys to Bucky. They were tossed right back again.

“Whoa, I’m not letting you go by yourself. You’ll get mugged.”

Which was how Tony found himself out on a stroll with Bucky. Something had changed, because Bucky switched from grilling him about Steve, to asking about Tony. About where he grew up, and if he had family, only to apologize and tell him about how he had also been orphaned at a young age.

Bucky told him stories about growing up with five dads, about how hard it’d been when Falsworth had passed away, and about all the trouble Steve somehow found when they were still just kids in Brooklyn. Tony told him about Jarvis, and Anna, and growing up thinking the world was full of magic. He got a bit more specific about his work, which oddly enough Bucky seemed to find fascinating, and they discussed their favorite examples of architecture, and Tony told him about Pepper and Rhodey.

“You shouldn’t give up, you know,” Tony blurted. They’d skipped one of the connecting trains, deciding the walk would be nicer. “You can still be an architect.”

“You think so?”

“Just talking to you about the buildings we’ve walked past I can appreciate your attention to detail, and your technical mind. I think you’d be great at it. Sometimes you need to take a risk, right?”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Bucky smiled sheepishly. “It’s weird. Normally I get all defensive, or change the subject whenever Steve or one of my dads says something like that.”

“Sorry! No one likes having a backseat driver for their life. Believe me, I feel like that’s all I’ve had since Jarvis died.”

“No, Tony,” Bucky swatted at him, then surprised him by draping an arm across his shoulders. “I’m trying to say you don’t make me feel like that. I mean… Family? Of course they think I can do anything, but you’re kinda like independent confirmation in this scenario. There’s no reason for you to blow smoke up my ass.”

“Where did that saying come from, do you think?” Tony asked, grinning as Bucky threw his head back and laughed. “Because the mental imagery is disturbing.”

Bucky smiled, gave him a squeeze, and as if just realizing what he’d done, took his arm back, which was a shame, really. Tony had liked the feeling very much.

“You’re something else, Tony,” Bucky said, smile still in place. It was enough to make Tony’s stomach flutter.

Suddenly, he wished he lived further away, because he didn’t want to stop talking to Bucky. Somewhere between the trains and walking in the cold together, Tony realized he _liked_  Bucky. Underneath the gruff exterior was a sweetheart, the sort of guy that stuck by the ones he loved through thick and thin, and had a smile that was equal parts mischief and mirth.

“I like Chatty Bucky, I think,” Tony blurted as they approached his building. The idea of saying goodnight was disappointing, despite how tired he was.

“Well, I’m only chatty because running off at the mouth keeps my face warm.”

Tony laughed at this, then groaned. “Icy patch, coming up. I swear, they want us to wreck it out here. There’s never salt out.”

“Here, hold on,” Bucky insisted, taking him by the arm.

“I’m good, I—whoa,  _you_  hold on!”

The two of them lost their footing at the same time, ultimately staying upright once they grabbed hold of each other, which soon resulted in laughter. “You’re going to kill us,” Tony accused.

“You’re the one that got all flustered,” Bucky pointed out.

Still clinging to each other for dear life, they shuffled their way across the slippery surface, almost eating it a few more times, before Tony was finally at his door. “Let me call you a cab,” he said, smiling up at Bucky. They were still holding each other, although the ground was free of ice.

“I can just go back the way we came,” he swore, shrugging. “Go on inside and get some rest.”

“Come on,” Tony insisted, fishing out his phone. Reluctantly, he let go of Bucky, but stayed close, grinning as he waited for the call to be picked up. Once it was, he rattled off the address, and swatted at Bucky’s hand as soon as he spotted him digging out his wallet. “No way, my treat. You’re the one that escorted me home all safe and sound. Least I can do.”

Somehow, with all the swatting and the protesting, Tony realized his fingers were curled around Bucky’s, and bit down into his lip to keep from smiling. Bucky looked up, met his gaze, and Tony felt like his heart stopped in his chest, because this was sort of what he’d always imagined falling in love would feel like, back when he was a kid.

The enormity of the realization slammed home just as the cab pulled up, and Bucky let go of his hand, flushing and looking downright ashamed of himself for some reason. “Catch you later, Tony,” he stammered, almost slipping on the ice in his haste to get into the cab.

+

“I’m having an affair,” Tony blurted as soon as Rhodey answered the phone.

“What are you talking about?”

“I like Bucky!”

“Who the hell is  _Bucky_?”

“Steve’s adopted brother.”

“Uh, okay. Well, liking someone is good, right?”

“Oh my god, Rhodey, you’re killing me here. How is this possibly good? He thinks I’m engaged to his brother, who is in a coma, in case you forgot.”

“Right. The whole fake engagement thing. So, tell him the truth.”

Tony groaned. “Hey, sexy guy with trust issues, I know you think I’m engaged to your brother, but the truth is he doesn’t even know who I am. I’m just some weirdo who sees him at the train station in the mornings and thinks about his smile while jerking off. By the way, while he’s been stuck in a coma and I’ve been lying to your entire family, I think I’ve gone and actually fallen for you, instead. Wanna go on a date? Like  _that,_ Rhodey?”

It was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, you’re fucked.”

More groaning. “His family is so nice, too! I really want to be part of that, and  _they_  all think Steve and I are in love. I can’t cheat on him with his brother while he’s in a coma! Who does that?”

“You’re scaring me. Tony, just start telling the truth, and hope for the best. That’s all the advice I got.”

Which wasn’t going to do him any good at all.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Bucky was sitting at the side of Steve’s bed, also feeling like a scumbag.

“Is this why you kept him a secret?” Bucky asked, holding Steve’s hand. “He’s… amazing, Steve. I know, that’s not fair for me to say, especially since I hardly know him, but… Remember how I always swore I’d know when I finally met the right person? Well… don’t ask me how, but I  _know_. And that makes me just about the worst brother ever. You’re in a coma, and I wanna arm wrestle you for your fiancé, like we used to do over stuff when we were kids. Only… this time, I wouldn’t let you win.”

Bucky hung his head, and sighed.

+

Neither of them thought it could possibly get any more awkward, until Tony found himself hijacked, and sitting across from Bucky at the dinner table on New Year’s Eve. The Commandos managed to keep the conversation going all around them, while he and Bucky exchanged nervous glances, and uncomfortable smiles.

Still, they were doing pretty good, right up until Gabe said, “Tony, you got any nice guys you can fix Bucky up with? He’s been single too long.”

Across the table, Bucky turned bright red, and glared. “Uh, I mean, I don’t really know his type, so—”

“We all know Tony’s type,” Morita joked, the table erupting in laughter, which almost drowned out Bucky’s declaration of, “I like blondes. Really tall ones.”

“Bull _shit_ you do,” Dum Dum called. “Every boy you’ve ever gotten busy with has been a brunette—shorter the better—and you know it.”

To Tony’s surprise, Bucky’s eyes darted over to him, then looked away, then back again, and away. His cheeks were still pink. “I’m fine being single. The right guy’ll come along, or he won’t.”

And Tony might have been able to survive the weird hopefulness this announcement gave him, brush it aside and forget it, if they hadn’t found themselves leaving the dining room at the same time.

“Mistletoe,” Gabe shouted, pointing above them. Why they still had mistletoe up was beyond Tony. It was New Years, they should have updated their decorations!

Tony looked up at Bucky, who was staring up above them and shaking his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, Tony’s mouth was dry, and his heart was racing, and his palms sweating. The Commandos all seemed to think it was hilarious, showering them with a chorus of, “Kiss, already!” and “It’s tradition, come on.”

“Kiss him, you idiot,” Dum Dum shouted.

Bucky looked down, and Tony looked up, and then before he could do or say anything, Bucky’s lips were brushing against his own. They kept their eyes open, so he could see the surprise, and the tender look in Bucky’s eyes when Tony followed his mouth, making the kiss fuller this time. He could feel it down in his toes, like an electric current running all through his body, and it was wonderful and horrible, because he was willing to bet that Bucky fucking Barnes was The One Jarvis had told him was waiting for him.

“Well, um,” Tony tried to say, but all that came out was a squeak. Bucky looked shell shocked, which was a small consolation. “I hate to kiss and run, but…”

“Right, you have your friend’s party to go to,” Morita said, shooing Tony along. “Bucky, why don’t you go with him? I’m sure you’d rather have fun with someone closer to your own age. We’re all hitting the hay, anyway.”

Tony was still a little hazy on how the hell they found themselves out on the porch with the door shut in their face, but it was locked when Bucky tried to get back inside.

“So, ah, guess you’re coming to this party with me?” Bucky nodded, shoulders hunched as he looked anywhere but at Tony. “Okay. Cab? That way you can have a drink if you want?”

Bucky exhaled raggedly, running a hand over his face. “Yeah. A drink sounds good right about now.”

Tony tried and failed to stop obsessing over the kiss, but it had taken over his mind. Bucky’s lips were  _perfect_ , fit against his own like they were made to be there. Under different circumstances, he’d be over the moon and planning their future together in his mind—two kids, at least—except Bucky was supposed to be his future brother-in-law. Somewhere, the Powers That Be were laughing at him.

When they headed up to the penthouse Rhodey and Pepper shared, Bucky glared at Tony accusatorially. “You could have warned me it was some sort of swanky affair.”

“What? You look great, don’t worry about it.”

Bucky snagged a glass of something off a tray as a caterer wandered past them, keeping his jacket on, the hand of the prosthetic shoved in his pocket. It wasn’t like Tony had bothered with one of his fancy suits. He was actually in an old Iron Maiden t-shirt and jeans, but of course, everyone at the party knew he was an eccentric billionaire, and so no one dared to stare at him.

“Look, there’s Pepper,” Tony said, as if this would help. “I’m gonna say hi. Wanna say hi?”

Bucky shrugged, looking around. “Maybe go make sure it’s okay I’m here first, okay?”

“It’s fine, Buck, honest.” Bucky gave him a look, so Tony raised his hands in defeat. “Fine, I’ll go get explicit permission.”

He glanced over his shoulder in time to see Bucky empty another glass of champagne.

“I gotta talk to you,” he said as soon as Pepper noticed him.

“Is that the guy?” she asked, leaning around him to wave at Bucky and smile. “Wow. No wonder you fell head over heels. When did he wake up from the coma?”

Tony groaned, and took her by the elbow, leading her further away. “No, that’s not Steve, that’s Bucky.” Pepper’s face scrunched up in adorable confusion. “Steve’s  _brother_.”

“Wait, I thought you had a crush on coma guy?”

“Can we maybe not call him coma guy?” Tony hissed, looking over his shoulder.

Pepper’s eyes were narrowing in that way they always did when Tony was in trouble. “Why did you bring  _him_  if you like his brother?”

“I didn’t actually have a choice, his family sort of made it happen. Look, forget all that. I messed up, Pep. I think I’m falling for him.”

“Which one?”

“Bucky!”

“Tony, this is insane.” She shook her head, forcing a smile into place. “I feel for you, I really do, but remember the long talk we had two years ago where you agreed that I couldn’t manage your life for you  _and_  run your business for you?”

He sighed, and hung his head. “Yes.”

“You know I love you, right?” Tony nodded. “If you two are meant to be, then he’ll understand, but you have to start telling the truth. This is just ridiculous. You’re the only person I know who could wind up in a situation this insane.”

Pepper leaned over, kissed him on the cheek, and then walked away. Tony counted to ten, then braced himself to go find Bucky, only he ran into Bruce first.

“Is that guy stalking you?” Bruce asked, putting an arm around Tony’s shoulders. “Because I saw him outside of your place the other day.”

Tony spun and hid his face against Bruce’s shoulder. “No, that’s the love of my life, only he thinks I’m engaged to his brother, who happens to be in a coma right now, and technically all of this is your fault for making that stupid public transportation bet with me in the first place! I live in the building where I work, Bruce. This shouldn’t have happened to me.”

“I can’t help it that your favorite coffee shop is in Brooklyn, and that you make shitty bets,” Bruce said sweetly, hugging Tony before kissing him on the cheek. “Also, if he’s the love of your life, you might want to go after him, because he just left in a hurry.”

That got Tony’s attention. He managed to catch up with Bucky down on the sidewalk, running to catch up when he didn’t stop when his name was called.

“Pepper said it was fine, where are you going?”

Bucky spun on his heels, glowering. “What’s with you and that guy?”

Tony blinked in surprise. “Bruce? Why are you so worried about—”

“Steve’s in a coma, and you’re runnin’ off to fancy parties, gettin’ all cozy with other men. Why  _wouldn’t_  I be worried about that?”

“Wait a minute—”

“How many other guys you got on the side?” Bucky asked, apparently warming to the topic.

“What the hell,” Tony stammered, feeling sick to his stomach. “I already explained this the last time you accused me of… of being some sort of cheating piece of crap! Bruce is a good friend. He was  _comforting_  me. Friends do that sometimes. I don’t—”

“Do any of your hoity-toity friends even care that your  _fiancé_  is in a coma? Do they even know you’re slummin’ it with a kid from Brooklyn? Cause Bruce laughed when I said something about you being engaged.”

Tony felt his face flush, anger momentarily pushing away the guilt. “Okay, you know what? Fuck you, Barnes. I’m supposed to apologize because I had money growing up, and I’m not supposed to be friends with people because of how much they make? That sounds pretty fucked up any way you cut it.”

“Whatever, this was a mistake,” Bucky snapped, trying to walk away.

“You’re being ridiculous!”

“ _I’m_  being ridiculous?” Bucky shouted, waving his arm in the air for emphasis. “ _You’re_ ridiculous. I can’t wait for Steve to wake up so I can ask him what the hell he was thinking asking you to marry him.”

Tony felt like he’d been punched, even though Bucky hadn’t laid a finger on him. “You don’t think I’m good enough for him?” he asked, barely getting the words out.

Bucky had a strange look on his face. “I didn’t say  _that_ ,” he said, looking like he might cry. The muscles in his jaw were tight, and flexing. “But you ain’t exactly his usual type, either. They typically have more curves, if you know what I’m saying?”

Of course. Because Steve was straight, which made it all the more confusing that his family had so willingly believed Tony’s preposterous story. It was probably only Bucky’s openness about his own sexuality that made it so easy for them to accept what they were hearing.

Tony squared his shoulders, shivering, just realizing he’d run out without his coat. “You know what? I’ve had a really lousy Christmas, and you pretty much just hammered the nails in the coffin of New Year’s, so I think I’m just going to head on home now, thanks.”

This time, Tony was the one to turn tail, fumbling for his phone and hitting the cab company he had on speed dial, feeling like the loneliest loser in New York. Behind him, Bucky seemed to realize how upset Tony was.

“Hey, Tony, come on!” He did his best to ignore Bucky. “I’m being an ass! Tony!”

Suddenly a hand was on his arm, halting his movement. “What do you want from me?” Tony asked, not fighting as Bucky spun him around so he wouldn’t have to talk to the back of Tony’s head.

Bucky was all wide eyed and repentant looking. He stared down into Tony’s face, chewing on his lower lip, like he was worried about what might spill out of his mouth. “I shouldn’t have said those things. It’s just… I dunno. You seem so unhappy. And… and I want you to _not_  be unhappy,” he answered almost shyly.

Tony blinked back the tears, and laughed at this. “Right. Because you’re some kind of expert on happiness?”

Now it was Bucky’s turn to look wounded. “Hey.”

“Sorry. This is… This fucking sucks,” he sputtered, relieved when he finally spotted his cab approaching. “I hate this time of year, because all it does is make me realize how  _alone_  I am, and you’re right, you know? I’m  _not_  good enough for Steve, or your family, or  _you_ , or anyone for that matter. Happy fucking New Year’s.”

“Tony, don’t say that!” Tony strode out into the street, waving at the cab as it pulled up. “And you’re not alone,” Bucky called after him. “You have Steve!”

“I don’t have anybody,” Tony shouted, slamming the cab door behind him. He slumped down in his seat, trying desperately not to have a full on meltdown in the back of the cab.

+

Somehow, Tony managed to avoid falling face first into a bottle of scotch, which was good, considering he was woken up by his phone ringing at seven the following morning.

“Get down to the hospital,” was all Dum Dum said before hanging up.

He didn’t need a hangover to feel sick to his stomach. Just the thought of seeing Bucky again was enough to do it to him.

When he arrived, Dum Dum was waiting for him, looking somewhere between happy as all hell, and worried sick. “He’s awake.”

Tony felt like his legs were going to give out under him. “Holy shit. Why did you bring me down here?” he hissed, accepting the arm Dum Dum offered. “Okay. Okay, fine, right, he’s awake. So, uh… Fuck, they’re gonna kill me and bury me in the backyard, aren’t they?”

“Look, don’t worry about that, I’ll handle it,” Dum Dum insisted. “Let’s go see Steve first.”

“ _See_  him? Are you out of your mind?”

Hissing like a cat, Tony didn’t have much of a choice, since Dum Dum manhandled him into the room. Time and again, his eyes darted over to the exit sign, or the window, as he tried to think up a plausible reason to escape.

But then Steve was blinking open his pretty eyes, and smiling at Tony, and… it was odd, because the little pang he’d always felt when he saw Steve was decidedly absent. He was still handsome, of course, surprisingly so for someone just coming out of a coma, but it was pretty obvious to Tony that he’d never actually been in  _love_  with Steve.

“Hi,” he said when Morita elbowed him in the side.

Steve eyed everyone else nervously, before looking back at Tony. “Uh, hi?”

Bucky was in the corner of the room, arm wrapped around himself, looking guilty and about as uncomfortable as Tony was feeling.

“It’s Tony,” Gabe said helpfully. “You remember Tony, right?”

Everyone laughed, and Steve’s brows drew together in confusion. He studied Tony’s face, worrying at his lower lip. “Um… no. Should I?”

Bucky’s head snapped up. Tony could feel those pale, angry eyes boring holes into him from across the room. “Look closely,” Morita suggested, shoving Tony closer to the hospital bed.

Steve seemed to drink in the brown eyes, and the dark hair, smiling sheepishly. “I mean… He  _does_  look familiar.”

Jacques let loose a barrage of French, and Steve’s eyes widened. “ _Fiancé_?” He sat up in the bed, trying to make eye contact with Bucky, his cheeks bright pink. “I’m engaged to a _fella_? When did this happen?”

“Hey, don’t look at me, pal,” Bucky snapped. “You don’t tell me anything anymore, remember?”

It didn’t take a genius to read the guilt all over Steve’s face at that remark. Tony opened his mouth, ready to confess, but Dum Dum slapped a hand over it before he could say anything.

Chaos erupted as everyone began shouting, which caused the doctors and nurses to show up, and kick them all out, explaining that Steve needed his rest. Tony stood with the rest of them, shaking as one of the doctors explained the concept of selective amnesia to the group, feeling sick to his stomach with shame.

Dum Dum walked him to his car when it was all over, everyone giving him sad looks, and hugs, and words of encouragement, taking his despondency to be a result of his fiancé forgetting who he was.

“Look, I’ll figure this all out, just give me a day or so,” Dum Dum insisted, giving Tony yet another sympathetic hug.

“We should just tell them, so they can hate me already,” Tony mumbled.

“Nobody is going to hate you, Tony. We’re all crazy about you,” Dum Dum insisted. “It’ll be okay, son.”

No matter what Dum Dum thought, Tony needed to come clean. Tomorrow, he told himself, feeling sick and sad. He sat in his car, not feeling up to driving anywhere yet, and was still sitting there when Bucky knocked on the passenger side window and let himself in.

“I can’t do this right now,” Tony moaned, smacking his head against the steering wheel.

“Tony, come on, just let me apologize. I was way outta line last night.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Bucky, I do. Look, things are probably going to be different after tomorrow.“ Tony took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say, um… I know we just met, and for some reason you think I’m a pathological cheater, but despite all of that, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you.”

“I don’t really believe that, Tony. Honest. I don’t know what got into me. You don’t seem like the cheating type.”

In the quiet of the car, he could hear Bucky’s breathing, and used the sound to calm himself down. He wished he could find some way to explain what had happened without Bucky hating him by the end of it all.

“I… I know this sounds crazy,” Tony swallowed around the lump in his throat, “but I feel like you’re already a good friend.”

After a moment, something touched his back tentatively, and he realized it was Bucky’s prosthetic.

“It’s not so crazy,“ Bucky said. "Tony. Steve’s gonna remember you, I know he will. You’re kind of unforgettable, actually. You’ll be a great couple. Again, I mean.” Bucky sounded like he was trying to convince both of them. “You won’t have to be alone anymore,” he added, so softly that Tony almost didn’t hear him.

“Okay,” Tony managed to gasp out. “Right. Thank you. That's…  _Fuck_. You’re a super sweet guy, Bucky. Steve’s lucky to have you as his brother.”

Tony squeezed his eyes shut, tried to push away the crippling heartache welling up inside of him. Of course. He finally got his obvious proof that Tony was full of shit, and he’d been right all along, and instead of behaving logically, Bucky had decided to ignore it all in favor of buying into the lie.

“We… we can still be friends. Right?”

“Yes, absolutely.“ Tony sighed. "I’d be lucky to have you as a friend.”

Bucky shifted in the passenger’s seat, and then Tony felt warm fingers curling around his wrist. “Hey, look at me.” Unable to resist, Tony sat up, turned to face the music. Bucky’s eyes looked red rimmed, lashes clumped together, and Tony wondered what he’d been crying about. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Stupidly, when Bucky took a risk, reached up, and curled his fingers around Tony’s cheek, he actually believed what he was being told. Dug up a smile from somewhere, so that Bucky could smile in return.

“Yeah?”

“Promise,” Bucky swore, his thumb rubbing back and forth against Tony’s cheek. “I’ll see you later, right? You’re coming back?”

Tony nodded, feeling like Bucky must be able to see everything in his eyes. All the lies, and longing, and hope, and guilt, and bitter, miserable resignation. He felt wide open, and more than a little terrified. If anyone had been in a position to make it happen, Tony would have given his entire fortune for another kiss from Bucky. A real one, with no one watching, and Bucky knowing the truth about him, but kissing him anyway.

He wanted to have the rest of his life to get to know him better, and spoil him rotten, make sure he actually followed through on his dreams. It was easy to imagine a scenario where on weekends Tony wandered out to a woodworking shop to bring Bucky lunch, and check the progress on his latest projects, while Bucky trudged into Tony’s workshop to drag him off to bed when he lost track of time while working. And maybe, in some other life, one where Tony hadn’t fucked everything up, he and Bucky could have indulged in their desire to be parents  _together_. They could have adopted enough kids that it would be worth moving back into the mansion. It wouldn’t be so bad having all that room and the memories that went with the place if he was going to be able to fill it up with laughter, and happiness, and new memories with his new family.

Bucky’s mouth twisted to the side, as if he was struggling with some sad thoughts of his own. Tony wanted to ask him what it was, wanted to kiss it better, wanted…

“Okay. Well, uh. I should probably get back. Bye, Tony.”

As if it was difficult to do so, Bucky pulled his hand away, and climbed out of the car with a sigh.

“Bye, Bucky.”

Tony watched him go, hands tight around the steering wheel. He managed to keep himself from crying until he saw Bucky walk through the hospital doors.

+

Bucky waited until the nurse was gone, then pulled the box of donuts out from under his coat.

“I love you!” Steve whooped, holding his hand out. “I’m  _starving_.”

“You’re gonna get us kicked out,” Gabe said, although he snagged one of the donuts. “We’ve been quizzing the kid; he remembers everything except Tony.”

“Yeah?”

Steve shrugged, already on his second donut. “How would I know if I was forgetting if I can’t remember that I forgot?”

Bucky groaned, hanging his head. Steve was grinning up at him like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I knew you were seeing someone. Figured it was a girl, though.”

Steve’s expression changed, sadness suddenly peeking out from behind his blue eyes. “Uh, there was. At least, I remember there was. Her name is Peggy, and I thought I wanted to marry her. She didn’t give me an answer,” he said softly. “I told her I’d wait, but…” He swallowed, shrugged. “I guess she must have said no? Otherwise, why would I be with Tony?”

Bucky was so shocked he almost dropped the box of donuts. Not only had Steve gotten engaged, he gotten engaged  _more than once_. And just to rub salt in the wound, it sounded like Tony was his second choice!

“Are you kidding me right now?”

Steve looked up, dazed and confused, as if just realizing he’s said any of that out loud. Bucky was two seconds away from losing it, and not entirely sure why. Just the entire idea of Tony—lonely Tony, with his quirky sense of humor, and his puppy dog eyes, and his love of mathematics—being a consolation prize? It was  _offensive_.

Dum Dum’s voice cut through the fog in Bucky’s head. “Hey, everybody? Can you give me and Steve the room?”

Bucky didn’t want to leave, but with the way he was feeling, staying wasn’t a good idea either. He gave Steve’s hair a playful tussle, but then followed the others out of the room, leaving the two to talk in peace.

If he forgot his phone in the waiting room, and had to come back, and just so happened to wind up outside the door while they were talking, that was totally an accident.

“He’s not only your fiancé, he’s your guardian angel, Steve. Tony jumped onto the train tracks and saved your life! Just do me a favor, and when he comes to visit you tomorrow, look in his eyes, and if you don’t see what it took the rest of us only seconds to see… Well, then call it all off. But fellas like Tony don’t come around twice in a lifetime. If you’re smart, you’ll just propose all over again.”

Bucky stumbled away from the room, Dum Dum’s words shaking him to his core. He was right; Tony  _was_  a once in a lifetime kind of guy. Only problem was it wasn’t his lifetime in question. If Steve said no, and broke Tony’s heart, Bucky would have a chance with him. A slim one, admittedly. Except, Tony would probably be devastated, and never want to see _any_  of them again. But if Steve married Tony…

The idea of every family gathering being an opportunity to see his once in a lifetime fella on the arm of his brother? Bucky wasn’t sure how he was supposed to survive that.

+

Tony wasn’t sure why he let Dum Dum talk him into coming back to the hospital so soon, but he found himself doing just that. The man had sworn up and down that Tony had nothing to worry about, and that he’d taken care of everything, and to please just show up.

Feeling oddly calm, Tony stopped at Steve’s to feed the cat, grabbed him some comfy clothes, and made some sandwiches. It was the least he could do, considering he’d lied his way into Steve’s life.

The man in question was sitting up in his bed, looking a little lost, a hopeful smile ghosting across his face once he spotted Tony. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Tony drawled, wondering why Steve wasn’t screaming at him. Dum Dum swore he’d taken care of things. This seemed… suspiciously okay. “I, uh, brought you something to wear.”

Steve perked up at this. “Wow, that’s really considerate of you.”

Tony made a soft, dismissive noise and handed over the bag of clothing, shuffling uncomfortably. “Hey, this is my favorite relaxing shirt,” Steve said to himself, looking up at Tony in confusion, then embarrassment. “Sorry! I mean, ah, of course you’d know that already. Sorry. This is all kind of confusing for me, still. I’m sure my memory will start coming back soon, though.”

Steve seemed genuinely apologetic, which made Tony cringe. Why was he apologizing for not remembering things that didn’t happen? What the hell had Dum Dum told the guy? “Forget it, it’s fine. Hey, look, sandwiches.”

“Thanks, I’m starving.”

Steve watched Tony thoughtfully as he chewed. “You  _are_  familiar,” he said. “Dum Dum told me what you did.”

Tony almost choked on his mouthful of food. Steve patted him on the back as he coughed himself silly, eventually able to wheeze, “he did?” because he’d convinced himself that Dum Dum was as big a liar as he was.

Why the fuck was Steve still talking to him?

“How you saved my life,” Steve added, clearly mystified by Tony’s reaction. “That was really brave of you. And thanks for looking after my family, and Fluffy, too. You’ve really, ah, made an impression on all of them.”

Tony nodded, not sure how else to react. Steve was still staring at him, something fond in his expression. “So, how did we meet?”

Tony swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Train station, oddly enough,” he admitted. “Normally, I try to ignore everyone around me, but you stood out. You always give your seat up to someone else when it gets crowded. Who even does that? Other than you, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Steve chuckled, looking embarrassed. “How long ago was that, exactly?”

“Three months,” Tony said. “Bucky thinks it was fast. Which, you know, can’t argue with that. Actually, speaking of fast, I should probably get going.”

“So soon?”

Tony handed Steve the uneaten half of his sandwich, and brushed his hands off on his pants. “Yup, sorry. If you remembered me, you’d probably hate that about me, the always leaving to go back to work thing. Right. Well, I guess this is goodbye, then.”

“Wait, what do you mean goodbye?” Steve looked mortified, which made no sense. “Give me a chance to remember at least. And… and if I can’t, I can just get to know you all over again. If I fell in love with you once, it’ll happen again, Tony.”

“Wow, this is actually happening right now, isn’t it?” Tony asked, feeling like his life had been hijacked by one of those awful (wonderful) romantic comedies Jarvis used to watch with him.

Steve smiled hopefully, and Tony opened his mouth to confess, only to hear himself saying, “sure, okay, I guess I can give you a chance.”

He left the room in a daze, so out of it he didn’t even notice Bucky when he walked past him.

+

Bucky watched Tony go, wanting to run after him, but terrified to find out why he looked like his world was ending.

“Hey, Bucky!”

Steve seemed pretty cheery, considering how Tony had looked. “You’re awfully chipper.”

“Tony was just here.” Steve smiled, and Bucky’s heart sank. “He’s going to give me a chance to remember him. Maybe we’ll wind up friends, or maybe…” he shrugged. “Something more?”

Bucky took a moment to count to ten. It sounded like Steve was talking about taking a chance on a new pizza topping, not spending the rest of his life with the guy of his dreams.

“And you’re okay with things heading in the ‘something more’ direction?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Bucky cleared his throat. “Have you  _been_  with a guy before? Before Tony, I mean.”

Steve blushed. “Uh. I might have kissed a guy once?”

“So, you have this hot and heavy thing with a woman, and she turns you down when you propose, so you… What? Suddenly decide to give dick a chance?”

Steve turned his nose up at the crudeness. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Peggy,” he swore, hanging his head. “It’s just… I’ve never been in love before. It’s kind of terrifying. I got myself convinced that I’d jinx things by introducing her to the family. Like, once everyone knew, I’d screw something up, and then have to explain why when Peggy left me.”

“Steve,” Bucky sighed, wrapping him up in a half hug. “Come on. You’re gonna make me cry. You’re a great guy, anyone’d be lucky to have you in their life. None of us would judge you if something didn’t work out. We’d wanna be there for you through a breakup, because we love you, and want you to be happy.”

“I know. I trust you more than anyone, Buck, honest. And I’m  _really_  sorry, because it never occurred to me that keeping quiet about Peggy would make you feel like I didn’t.”

Bucky forced himself to smile. “Don’t worry about me and my hang ups.” He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and added, “Maybe it’ll be different with Tony? Everybody already knows about him.”

“Right,” Steve murmured, but one look at his face and Bucky knew it was Peggy he was thinking of.

“You know, Tony is a great guy,” he began cautiously. “Just really terrific.”

Steve scrubbed a hand across the back of his neck, a nervous habit he’d had since they were kids. “He seems nice. I can see why I’d want to get to know him.”

The answer wasn’t what Bucky wanted to hear, not at all. He was worried whatever had happened to make his brother suddenly consider a romantic relationship with a man was some sort of cosmic fluke, and that Tony was being set up for disappointment. Never mind that he desperately wanted it to fall apart, because he was an awful, greedy, sneaky person, and wanted Tony for himself.

“Tell me about him?” Steve asked.

Bucky felt himself blush, the memory of their kiss under the mistletoe flooding into his mind. “Uh, like what?”

“Anything. He’s a stranger to me, but you sound like you’ve gotten to know him while I was out of it.”

“Okay. Uh… Well, he’s a genius.” Bucky smiled to himself over Steve’s expression. “No, an  _actual_  genius. He builds robots for fun. It’s fascinating; even when I don’t understand half of what he’s staying, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun listening.”

Steve nodded expectantly, and suddenly Bucky felt possessive about the little nuggets of information he’d gathered during the time he’d spent with Tony. If Steve really wanted to get to know him, Bucky wasn’t the person he should be talking to.

“And, um, well, he’s special.”

“Dum Dum said the same thing.”

“There you go then. The thing is, Steve, Tony is… Well, he gets under your skin, I’d have to say. Like right from the minute he opens his mouth. It’ll drive you so crazy you don’t know whether you wanna hug him or, like, really arm wrestle him or something.”

Steve laughed, something in his expression changing. “What else?”

Bucky shrugged. “I don’t know. Being around him makes you feel like anything is possible.”

“Sounds like you’re the one who should have proposed,” Steve said. Bucky looked up guiltily, but there was only concern on Steve’s face.

He opened his mouth, planning on making excuses, but a feisty looking brunette decided the lull in their conversation was her cue to storm into the room. “My god, are you terribly hurt?”

The lilt of her voice seemed to transform Steve, his entire face lighting up as he heard the voice and looked up in shock. “Peggy!” Actual tears were in Steve’s eyes. “You came.”

Peggy’s face clouded over with confusion. “Darling, of course I came,” she gasped, wrapping her arms around him. “Didn’t you get any of my messages?”

They held each other tight, rocking back and forth. “No, I’ve been In a coma.”

“Well that’s hardly a good excuse,” Peggy chided, making Steve laugh through his tears. “Then you wouldn’t have known I was coming home early,” Peggy added in a more serious tone. “Or that I finally got my head out of my arse and agreed to marry you?”

Steve’s expression was priceless. Happiness and love and excitement and then he and Peggy were kissing, and Bucky felt like his head might just explode.

“Wait, wait,” he shouted, and Peggy gave a startled little gasp.

“Where did you come from?” She looked at him like he’d materialized out of thin air. “I thought we were alone,” she gasped, collapsing in a fit of laughter. Steve joined in, face tucked into the curve of her shoulder, looking like he’d found where he belonged. “This must be the brother you’re always telling me about. I’m so sorry we’re meeting under such unusual circumstances. I’m Peggy Carter.”

Bucky ignored her extended hand. “What about Tony?” he asked through clenched teeth.

Peggy looked to Steve for answers. “Who’s Tony?”

“Steve’s fiancé!”

“But I’m Steve’s fiancée,” Peggy insisted, face scrunched up in confusion. She arched an eyebrow at Steve. “I’ve only been in London for three weeks, and everything’s gone to shit. Care to explain?”

“Uh, well, I  _can’t_  since I don’t actually remember Tony,” Steve admitted. “Actually, I feel kinda bad because I sort of got his hopes up?”

“Really, I’m going to need more explaining.”

Bucky swayed on his feet, and stormed out of the room, feeling shell shocked. What the hell was going on?

“Whoa, slow down there,” Dum Dum said, snagging Bucky before he could make it out of the hospital. “What’s got you all spooked?”

“Steve’s fiancée showed up,” he stammered. “Not Tony—the other one.  _Peggy_.”

Dum Dum’s eyes went wide. “Shit.”

“You should have seen Steve’s face, Dum Dum. He loves that woman, no two ways about it. And… And she said she’s only been gone a couple weeks, which doesn’t make any sense! If he’s that in love, why would he be cheating on her with Tony?”

Dum Dum groaned, and hung his head. “He didn’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

Bucky had made enough racket that Gabe, Jacques, and Morita had circled around him, ready to spring into action if need be. But now, all eyes were on Dum Dum, right up until Tony came swooping back into the room, his eyes red and puffy like he’d been crying.

“Tony!”

“I have to talk to Steve,” he announced.

Bucky managed to snag him around the waist before he got too far. “Hold on, you don’t want to go in there right now!”

“I really do, Bucky,” Tony swore, wiggling around and not getting very far. He tried a different track, going limp, and Bucky had to scramble to keep them both from hitting the ground.

“Don’t go dead weight on me, punk! I’m trying to protect you here!”

Tony squirmed some more, so that before he knew what was happening, Bucky was getting tickled, only it probably looked more like groping to the people around them. Between the shouting and involuntary giggling and wrestling, Steve and Peggy made an appearance to see what the hell was going on.

“Bucky?” Tony and Bucky stopped, looking exactly like a couple of children caught misbehaving. Steve sat up straighter in the wheelchair Peggy had loaded him into, brows drawn together. “What the hell is going on out here?”

“Tony, I’m sorry,” Bucky whispered, grabbing hold of him again and spinning him, as if not seeing Peggy there would make it hurt less. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

“Find out what?” Tony looked around, seemed to notice Peggy for the first time. Bucky kept spinning him, though, so that Tony was constantly twisting in an attempt to make eye contact. “For the love of… Bucky, knock it off!”

Another struggle, and Tony managed to get himself facing the right way.

“You must be Tony,” Peggy Carter said, smiling sweetly. She took several steps forward, hand extended. All around them, the other Commandos murmured, exchanging worried glances.

“Yes. Hi.” Tony shook her hand, and then quickly backed up, only stopping once he hit Bucky’s chest. “I must be Tony.”

“Steve was just telling me how he awoke from his coma to learn the two of you were engaged?” Peggy smiled sweetly. “Which comes as quite the shock, considering he proposed to  _me_.”

Bucky heard the little surprised inhale, and even though he knew it wasn’t his place, he took Tony by the hand, twining their fingers together, and squeezing. He waited for the questions, the screaming, maybe some tears. What he hadn’t prepared himself for was Tony bursting out laughing.

+

If he hadn’t already believed in fate, or luck, Tony would find himself jumping on the bandwagon. Clearly, someone somewhere was having a hell of a lot of fun at his expense.

Everyone was staring at him as if he’d just lost his mind, which wasn’t too surprising considering the bombshell that had just been dropped by, well, a bombshell. Peggy Carter was lovely, no two ways about it, and seeing her standing there, eyes narrowed, body tensed as if she expected to have to fight Tony for Steve made him kind of love her in that moment. Especially since he was willing to bet she could kick his ass without breaking a sweat.

“Okay, people, listen up,” Dum Dum said, clapping his hands together.

“No, stop,” Tony insisted, managing to get a lid on his laughter. “I need to do this, Dum Dum.”

“You sure?”

Tony nodded, took a deep breath, and then looked at Bucky for one last time. He was worried, obviously, and there was so much affection in his expression, that it was really going to suck to see that all fizzle out and die.

“So, I owe everyone an apology,” Tony announced, letting go of Bucky’s hand so he could reposition himself so everyone could see him. “But before I get into the details on all of that, I, ah, just want to take this moment to go on the record to say,” he took a deep breath, then looked at Dum Dum, Morita, Gabe, and Jacques in turn. “I’m in love with your son.”

“We know that, Tony,” Morita said, smiling sadly.

“No, uh, not that one,” he said, pointing at Steve. “ _That_  one. Bucky.”

It was quiet at first, but then everyone looked at Bucky expectantly. He was staring at Tony with wide eyes, unable to hide his confusion, that beautiful mouth of his hanging open in shock. “Me?”

“Yup. You.” Tony looked at Steve. “Sorry, you’re great and all, but…”

“Wait, when did this happen?” Gabe asked, while Morita whirled on Bucky, saying, “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“He didn’t, honest, this is… well, all me. And, uh, if you actually knew what a mess I am, it’d almost make sense.” Even Dum Dum looked surprised now. “See, there was a little mix-up when Steve was brought to the hospital. I never meant for it to happen, but it did, and then I didn’t know how to undo it—not too crazy, considering I’m still shaky on how it happened in the first place—and it all just happened so fast! I… I couldn’t figure out how to just… tell the truth.”

Everyone was staring at him again, especially Bucky, and Tony shrugged, and tried for a smile. “Then I didn’t  _want_  to tell the truth. Because… well, I fell in love with all of you. I hope you understand how special your family is, and what you have in each other. I guess… I don’t know. I’ve felt alone for such a long time now. Even… even though it was wrong, I couldn’t help but want to be part of that, just for a little bit.”

“We love you, too,” Dum Dum said, smiling encouragingly.

“Wait, I’m confused.” Morita raised his hand. “What was the mix-up?”

Tony took a deep breath. “I was never engaged to Steve.”

Everyone started talking over each other, except for Bucky, who was staring at Tony, his face blank. Well. He’d always known it was a bit too much to hope Bucky would forgive him.

“I know, I know,” Tony shouted, waving his arms to get their attention. “You’re all amazing, warm hearted people, and I took advantage of that, because… I woke up that morning thinking about how much I missed my uncle, and that I was ending one lonely year and getting ready to start on another, and then before I knew what was happening I was somebody important. I was a fiancé, a son-in-law, a… a brother-in-law.”

Tony turned to face Steve. “I’m just some guy that rode the same train as you, and thought you were cute, and a nice guy. I tried a bunch of times to psych myself up to talk to you, but never quite got there, and then I saw you get pushed onto the tracks, and I didn’t think. I just knew I had to save you, which is the only part of this mess I’m not ashamed of.”

Peggy was looking at Tony differently, now, and he gave her a shy little smile before turning back to the rest of the group. “You all thought I saved Steve, but really, it was all of you who saved me. You let me be part of your family, and I haven’t had that in a really long time. And I didn’t want to let go of that. So, even though it was only for a little while, I’m gonna love all of you for the rest of my life. I’m really sorry.”

Tony swallowed, sighed, and finally looked Bucky in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Buck. You were right about me the entire time. I’m a fraud.”

Bucky’s expression darkened, but Tony plowed on.

“I owe you the biggest apology of all. I know you won’t believe me—I haven’t given you any reason to—but everything else we ever talked about was the truth. You’re amazing, by the way. And as soon as I met you, somewhere deep inside, I knew how bad I’d messed up. Meeting you… Everything my uncle ever told me about love suddenly made sense.”

It was quiet, and Tony had run out of words for maybe the first time in his life, so he hung his head, took another deep breath, and walked out. He didn’t run, he walked slowly, so everyone would have plenty of time to stop him if they wanted.

Only nobody did.

+

It was cold enough outside that Tony felt lucky his tears weren’t freezing to his face. He’d driven to the hospital, but after dropping his bombshell he knew he was in no shape to drive, so he started walking.

He walked and walked, not even sure of where it was he was going, until he spotted the sign for the train station, and had to laugh at himself.

“Returning to the scene of the crime,” he sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Tony couldn’t get the image of Bucky’s face out of his mind, a whole montage of them, really. That first morning they’d met, Bucky scaring the crap out of him. The shy smile he wore when talking about architecture. The stunned expression after he’d kissed Tony under the mistletoe. Only, it all came back to the last one, Bucky staring at him like he was a stranger.

“Looks like I messed this up pretty bad,” he said, thinking of his uncle, and feeling profoundly sad. “You’d be disappointed in me if you were still alive.”

Hanging his head, Tony trudged on, climbing the steps slowly, not even particularly interested in going home. Standing outside in the cold was more in keeping with his mood.

He was so lost in his thoughts that at first he didn’t even notice the commotion, but then he realized someone was calling his name. When he looked up, he stopped in his tracks. Dum Dum, Morita, Gabe, Jacques, and Bucky were all standing there.

“Oh god, is this some revenge thing?” he asked, unable to help himself. “You’re going to push me onto the tracks, aren’t you?”

Dum Dum’s eyes went wide. “Cripes, kid, that’s one bleak imagination you’ve got there!”

“No one’s gonna kill you,” Morita added.

Jacques wasn’t entirely subtle when he shoved Bucky forward, earning himself some back talk in French. “Hey,” Bucky said, taking a few steps closer.

Tony swallowed around his panic, and took a few steps closer himself. “Hi.”

Bucky looked serious, and a little pale, and maybe even terrified. It was enough to freak Tony out. “I’m so sorry, Bucky,” he blurted.

But the strangest thing happened. Bucky smiled at him. It was slow, and sweet, and made Tony’s heart race. “You said that already,” Bucky pointed out, shrugging. “And then you left before I had a chance to process what’d happened.”

Tony was shaking, and not from the cold. Bucky still had that red rimmed thing going, as if more crying might have happened since they’d last seen each other, and Tony felt guilty for being the reason why.

“The thing is, Tony,” Bucky squared his shoulders, and stood up like he was facing military inspection. “My gut reaction when you finally told the truth wasn’t anger, or betrayal—it was happiness. Relief, too.”

“Seriously?” Tony interrupted, unable to help himself. “Why?”

The corner of Bucky’s mouth was twitching, like he was fighting a smile. “Well, I’d been feeling like a real jerk for going and falling for my brother’s fiancé while he was in a coma, for a start.”

Tony’s eyes went wide with surprise. “What?”

“And sure, I’m a little confused and maybe a tiny bit pissed off, but  _Tony_. That’s so much better than the alternative! Seeing you and Steve together, feeling the way I feel about you? That’d be a  _nightmare_.”

Just like that, Tony’s legs gave out from under him. Bucky stumbled forward and grabbed him before he hit the ground, which meant he suddenly found himself up close and personal with Bucky, who was smiling his stupid face off.

“Holy shit, are you serious?” Tony asked, voice barely audible. “Because if you’re just saying this as… as some sort of payback—”

Thankfully, Bucky stopped the stupid, embarrassing flow of words with a kiss. Not just any kiss, either, but the exact heart stopping, life changing kiss Tony had always dreamed of experiencing. Distantly, he could hear the Commandos cheering them on, but his world was reduced to Bucky’s lips teasing his own, and the look in his eyes, and the feeling of his hand cradling Tony’s jaw.

“Yeah, idiot, I love you, too,” he said a moment later, resting his forehead against Tony’s, and grinning like a crazy person.

“We love you too, Tony,” Morita shouted, the others joining in.

“I don’t deserve any of you,” Tony said, struggling to get the words out.

“Well, you don’t have a choice, really,” Gabe said, winking. “You’re family now. Right, Bucky?”

Tony looked at Bucky, who was now pink in the cheeks and shooting his dads a dirty look. “I’m gettin’ to that, gimme a minute!”

“What?”

But then Bucky cleared his throat, and dropped to one knee so fast that Tony automatically assumed he’d fallen or something, and tried to help him up, until they were slapping at each other and Bucky was shoving a pair of dog tags into his hands.

“Tony, would you stop fighting me for two seconds and just let me ask you to marry you already?” Bucky shouted, gesturing to the dog tags.

“Oh my god, is that what’s happening?”

“I hope so!” Bucky burst out laughing, hanging his head before he looked up again. “You’re a once in a lifetime kind of guy, Tony. No way am I letting you just walk out of mine. I’m pretty sure I knew the first time I saw you. So… If you meant it about loving me, then say yes.”

“Yes,” Tony blurted before he could mess anything up by thinking. “Yes!”

Bucky jumped up to his feet, and then they were kissing again, and again, until they were swarmed by the Commandos, and wrapped up in a group hug.

“Welcome to the family!”

+

“Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan,” Tony always told his kids, keeping Jarvis’s tradition alive. “That might not seem fair at the time, but just because you didn’t plan for something doesn’t mean it can’t be the best thing to ever happen to you.”

After all, Tony was thankful every day that his uncle had been right, and his plans had come crashing down around him. He’d never have met Bucky, never gotten married, or adopted enough kids to make the mansion feel like a home. Bucky might not have given him the world the way Anna had done for Jarvis, but he’d given him something bigger and better. A life full of laughter, and happiness, and a family so large that Tony never had to worry about feeling lonely again.

And whenever the three girls and two boys whined that for bedtime they once again wanted to hear the story of how their dads met, and fell in love, he always explained that it had all happened while their uncle Steve was sleeping.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've ever seen the movie, you can probably tell how many times I've watched this stupid movie. *shifty eyes* I like it better when Tony & Bucky are involved. ;D

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cover for "While You Were Sleeping by Finely Honed"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6194455) by [PeggyStarkk (LupusUlulans)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LupusUlulans/pseuds/PeggyStarkk)




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